Comments for London, Julie, Julie...At Home-Around Midnight

This 1996 "Two on One" disc compiles two of Julie`s finest albums, both from 1960. The first twelve selections originally made up her "Julie...at Home" LP, recorded in Julie`s living room as to avoid "the cold formality of a recording studio." The effect is down-home jazz with heart. Julie is genuinely swinging on "So Nice to Come Home To"; hers is surely one of the finest versions of this Cole Porter nugget that has ever been recorded. Her take on "Sentimental Journey" has equal bounce and spirit, and the ballad "Goodbye" gets a lovely reading. The gem surfaces when Julie sing opposite a solo guitar for a flawless interpretation of the classic "You`ve Changed." For a swinging affair with great playing and top-notch singing, you need only to vist Julie...at home. The second half of the disc represents her "Around Midnight" LP...a glorious collection of some of jazz music`s finest classics. "Black Coffee," "Wee Small Hours," and "Don`t Smoke in Bed" are all beautifully orchestrated ballads with superior vocals, and "But Not for Me" and the very uptempo "Lonely Night in Paris" (a lesser-heard tune written by her husband, Bobby Troup) bring things to a delightful, swinging boil. Between the warmth of "Julie...at Home" and the jazz/easy listening glory of "Around Midnight," having these two LPS on one disc is like getting two great Christmas presents under one bow.