Ben E. King

A popular singer in the R&B world of the 1960s who made "Stand by Me" and "Spanish Harlem" famous, Ben E. King has in more recent times sometimes appeared in jazz-oriented settings. For this live set, he is accompanied by trumpeter Tim Ouimette's tentet. The musicians perform Ouimette's swinging "Short Stomp" and "Harlem Nocturne" as instrumentals before the singer takes over. King, 61 at the time, is heard in excellent form whether revisiting a few of his hits or performing Eddie "Cleanhead" Vinson's "Person to Person," "There'll Be Some Changes Made," or "Let the Good Times Roll." King sounds quite comfortable and shows that, if he had been born earlier, he would have been a popular singer in the jump jazz idiom of the 1940s too. A fine outing. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide