Movin'

Chronique

Movin' marked Kay Starr's return to Capitol after a four-year spell with RCA. RCA had Starr cut "Rock & Roll Waltz" and the Rockin' with Kay album, but Capitol sought to "reaffirm her status as a great jazz vocalist," as the Movin' liner notes say. The dozen songs are mostly jazz and pop standards arranged by Dave Cavanaugh with Van Alexander for a big band on most selections. A few others feature arrangements for five trombones and a rhythm section, reminiscent of the Four Freshmen's 1956 album Four Freshmen and 5 Trombones, another Capitol product. The album's emphasis on rhythm may have hinted at rock & roll, but Movin' delivers pure big band and traditional pop music with a swingin beat and Starr's soulful phrasing. Only the cowboy tale "Riders in the Sky" strays from the album's pure pop and jazz trajectory, although even that enjoyed wide currency in pop circles. Movin' yielded no hits, and one suspects that Capitol may have wooed Starr back by letting her record more of the music she liked.

© Greg Adams /TiVo