Thelma Carpenter (1922-97) was a fine singer and a skilled actress. She performed in New York City clubs as early as 1938, was discovered by John Hammond, and sang with Teddy Wilson’s big band when she was 17. She worked with the Coleman Hawkins Orchestra (1940) and Count Basie (1943-45), broke racial barriers by being featured regularly on the Eddie Cantor radio show during 1945-46, was a popular night club attraction, and recorded a few albums. As an actress she was part of several Broadway shows including replacing Pearl Bailey in Hello Dolly, was on television as early as the 1940s, and appeared in such films as The Wiz and The Cotton Club.
Producer-manager Alan Eicher worked with Thelma Carpenter in her later years. He put together this new CD from the Jasmine label which is titled The Eddie Cantor Sessions. 18 selections from the program open up the release. Ms. Carpenter was generally featured doing a little bit of comedy with Cantor and singing one song during each of the weekly programs. Among the numbers on this set are “Happiness Is A Thing Called Joe,” “How Deep Is The Ocean,” “All By Myself,” “I Can’t Give You Anything But Love,” and “Symphony.” The 23-year old displays a warm voice, a solid sense of swing, and the ability to dig deep into the lyrics that she was interpreting.
Also included on this CD are a previously unreleased alternate take of
