Stax
2007
Live At The Bohemian Caverns
About This Album
Carla Thomas' recordings for Stax Records had more of a pop sheen than most of the other artists on the label's roster, and her sides often featured involved orchestration and a distinct, almost Motown feel. She single-handedly put the label on the map with her "Gee Whiz (Look at His Eyes)" hit in 1961, which broke into the charts when she was only 18 years old. Although Thomas could hold her own on the soul front (she made a duets album with Otis Redding, after all), she always felt more at home using a jazz-inflected approach, and with Live at the Bohemian Caverns, Stax gave her the opportunity to try her hand at a set of pop and jazz standards. Recorded on May 25, 1967 on the second night of a five-night engagement at Washington's famed Bohemian Caverns, Thomas took the stage in front of a crackerjack band (Herschel McGuinnis, Maxwell Hawkins, Billy Harp) led by pianist (and her most sympathetic record producer) Donny Hathaway, and proceeded to deliver a stunning set, mixing in her own hits like "Gee Whiz" with artful covers like a version of Leroy Hutson's "Never Be True," and a cleverly executed medley that mixed Johnny Mercer's "Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah," the Spaniels' "A Lovely Way to Spend an Evening" (Thomas probably used the Spaniels' version as a guide rather than Frank Sinatra's more famous 1944 rendition of the song), Doris Day's "It's a Lovely Day Today," and Johnny Mathis' "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)" into an impressive mini-show.
Track List (try tracks 2,3,4,6,7,9,12 and 13)

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