(Above: Lee Morse, left, and Mildred Bailey, two often overlooked jazz singers, receive a musical reintroduction, thanks to The Shedd Institute for the Arts)

By Randi Bjornstad

Maybe you’ve never heard of Lee Morse or Mildred Bailey, but if so, Jesse Cloninger, maestro of the Emerald City Jazz Kings, thinks it’s about time you do.

“In the past few years we have presented shows on early jazz as well as the Swing era,” Cloninger said in announcing his group’s latest show. “Over the course of these shows, I have repeatedly come across tracks by two artists that always leave me wanting to hear more.”

Those singers, of course, are Morse (1897-1954) and Bailey (1903-51). Besides hailing the two women’s style and musicianship, Cloning confesses to being “just a little bit of a sucker for local gals from the Pacific Northwest.”

Both came from small towns, Morse came from Cove, Oregon, near La Grande, and Bailey from Tekoa, Washington, between Pullman and Spokane.

Once grown, both left their small-town horizons. Morse moved to San Francisco and became part of the vaudeville scene there. Bailey went first to Spokane, then Seattle, and on to Los Angeles, where she got her musical break performing with Paul Whiteman.

And while the women sang in very different styles — Morse in a deep alto with “near yodel-like tones” and Bailey “clear and warm and so effortlessly swinging” — Cloninger believes combining their talents not only makes sense historically but also enjoyably.

The concert, called Tonight You Belong to Me will have another local attachment, Cloninger said. It turns out that years ago, Eugene playwright Dorothy Velasco wrote a short, two-person play about Mildred Bailey and her husband, a vibraphonist named Kenneth “Red” Norvo. That 15-minute play,”At Home With Mrs. Swing,” will be performed along with the concert pieces, under the direction of George Comstock. Jazz Kings vocalist Sarah B. Rose will play Bailey, with Eric Blanchard as Norvo.

Performers:

Jesse Cloninger, artistic director, conductor & reeds
Shirley Andress, vocals
Tracy Williams-Tooze, vocals
Sarah B. Rose, vocals & Mildred Bailey
Eric Blanchard, Red Norvo
Alexis Garnica, trumpet
Glenn Griffith, trombone
Kyle Smith, guitar
Nathan Waddell, bass
Alistair Gardner, drums
Alex Parthemer, piano

Program

Lee Morse Songs (recorded from 1924-38, ’50)


Bring Back Those Rock-A-Bye Baby Days  (1924)
Yes Sir! That’s My Baby  (1925)
Ukulele Lady  (1925)
Tonight You Belong To Me  (1926)
Side By Side  (1927)
In The Sing Song Sycamore Tree  (1928)
If You Want The Rainbow  (1928)
Shadows On The Wall  (1928)
Always, My Dear, I’ll Adore You  (1930)
I’m One Of God’s Children  (1931) Ballyhoo

Mildred Bailey Songs (recorded from 1929-47)

At Home With Mrs. Swing
When It’s Sleepy Time Down South  (1930)
Too Late  (1931)
Rockin’ Chair  (1930)
Heat Wave  (1933)
Doin’ The Uptown Lowdown  (1933)
Junk Man  (1934)
Honeysuckle Rose  (1929)
More Than You Know  (1929) Great Day
I Let A Song Go Out of My Heart  (1938)
I Thought About You  (1939) 
Tonight You Belong to Me

When and Where:  
• 7:30 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 7 at The Shedd Institute for the Arts, 868 High St., Eugene (cabaret seating)
• 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 8 at the Jacoby Auditorium at Umpqua Community College, 1140 Umpqua College Road, Roseburg
• 7:30 p.m. on Saturday, Feb 9 at the La Sells Stewart Center at Oregon State University, 875 SW 26th St., Corvallis
• 3 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 10 at The Shedd Institute for the Arts, 868 High St., Eugene (concert seating)

Tickets: $22, $26, $30 Eugene; $25 in Corvallis and Roseburg; discounts for students and groups; available at The Shedd box office, 541-434-7000, or online at theshedd.org/

Pre-concert meals: Available Feb. 7 at 6 p.m. and 5:30 p.m. on Feb. 10 in Eugene; $22.75 for adults, $17.75 for children 9 years and younger; call 541-434-7000 for menu and reservations