Solo performer: Andy Bey (vocals, piano).

Personnel: Andy Bey (vocals, piano).

Liner Note Authors: Eugene Holley, Jr.; Jerry Gordon .

Recording information: Car Seltzer Studios, New York, NY (05/19/1995-05/20/1995).

Photographer: Stephanie Badini.

Andy Bey was 56 when he recorded Ballads, Blues & Bey in 1995, and despite the fact that his voice had more rough edges than it did in the '60s and '70s, he still had an impressive range and was among jazz's most expressive male singers. For this project, the Newark, NJ native didn't employ a band -- his only accompaniment is his own acoustic piano, and this spare, intimate approach really makes Bey's heartfelt vocals stand out on such chestnuts as "Someone to Watch Over Me," "Embraceable You," and "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To." This time, the Duke Ellington songbook is a high priority for Bey, who demonstrates how marvelous an interpreter of lyrics he is on "In a Sentimental Mood," "Day Dream," and other Ellington gems. Unfortunately, Bey still wasn't nearly as well known in jazz circles as he deserved to be, and he continued to be one of the great unsung heroes of jazz singing. ~ Alex Henderson

This 1996 album was singer Andy Bey's first new release in 22 years. After an initial burst of recordings in the early '50s, Bey continued on into the '60s before his releases were fewer. In the '80s, he found work as Horace Silver's vocalist, at which time he settled in Austria. Released when Bey was living and performing in New York City, BALLADS, BLUES & BEY is a bracing return. His stirring four-octave range dances in and around the breezy chordal foundations that he builds on the piano. Finally, he explores a repertoire that has always been central to his artistry: songs by Gershwin, Porter, Ellington, Kern, and others from the era of the lightly swinging jazz ballad. His eight-minute-plus version of "You'd be so Nice to Come Home To" is a show-stopping tour-de-force.

JazzTimes (3/97, p.81) - "...here's one to savor. His voice floats in and out of a whisper. He has a quick, sometimes quivering vibrato. He often employs the falsetto range, although he has a full baritone range too. And he swings tantalizingly....With his spare, evocative piano as the only accompaniment, Bey's intimate recital of standards is something special."