One of the more notorious albums in the history of vocal music, What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! is the lush session that bumped up Dinah Washington from the "Queen of the Blues" to a middle-of-the-road vocal wondress -- and subsequently disenfranchised quite a few jazz purists.
Washington had been praised in the same breath as Holiday and Fitzgerald for more than a decade, but Mercury nevertheless decided to back her with mainstream arrangements (by Belford Hendricks), heavy strings, and wordless vocal choruses similar to the radio hits of the day. Apparently, the mainstream backings didn't faze Washington at all; she proves herself with a voice as individual and evocative as ever. To be honest, the arrangements are quite solid for what they're worth; though it's a bit jarring to hear Washington's voice wrapped in sweet strings, the effect works well more frequently than not.
Most of the songs here are familiar standards ("I Remember You," "I Thought About You," "Cry Me a River," "Manhattan," "Time After Time"), but they've been transformed by Washington as though they'd never been sung before. The Top Ten title track is by no means the best song on the album, but its title proved prophetic for Washington's career. Though her vocal style hadn't changed at all, one day she was a respected blues singer; the next, according to most of the jazz cognoscenti, she had become a lowbrow pop singer. Thankfully, the evidence against Washington's "transformation" is provided right here. (John Bush)
Dinah Washington (vocals), Jerome Richardson (flute), Charles Davis (baritone saxophone), Joe Zawinul (piano), Kenny Burrell (guitar), Panama Francis (drums), Belford Hendricks (conductor), Milt Hinton (bass).
Tracklisting:
1. I Remember You
2. I Thought About You
3. That's All There Is To That
4. I Won't Cry Anymore
5. I'm Thru With Love
6. Cry Me A River
7. What A Difference A Day Makes
8. Nothing In The World
9. Manhattan
10. Time After Time
11. It's Magic
12. A Sunday Kind Of Love
13. Time After Time
14. Come On Home
15. It Could Happen To You
16. What A Diff' Rencea Day Makes" (no Title)
Recorded Feb 19, 1959-Aug 1959