Lorez Alexandria
b. 14 August 1929, Chicago, Illinois, USA. Like so many other young black singers, Alexandria began singing in church and later performed gospel music. Her early professional career was centred in clubs and really took off towards the end of the '50s with a series of well-received albums. After working with Ramsey Lewis she began to concentrate on jazz, recording extensively with Howard McGhee, Wynton Kelly and others during the early '60s. Around this time she settled on the west coast, singing on television, recording and playing club dates. Alexandria sings with a deep, burnished tone and if her interpretations of a composer's intentions sometimes come second to her exploitation of her wide range of vocal devices, she remains one of the better, if lesser-known, jazz singers. Albums such as A WOMAN KNOWS, which includes what might well be the definitive version of the much-recorded song I Can't Get Started, and HARLEM BUTTERFLY are musical tours de force. These albums enjoyed deserved popularity amongst lovers of jazz singing.