LAST Monday evening at the Mosses Centre, Bury Jazz Society members continued their celebration of jazz vocalists, with a record date at which Ray Charles booked most of the Count Basie Band to accompany him on I've Got News For You.

When Buddy Greco left the piano chair in Benny Goodman's band to concentrate on a singing career, he had an instant hit with Lady is a Tramp.

Trumpeter, Phil Mason, has led a traditional jazz band in this country for many years. He sang and played a Dixieland version of Goodnight Irene.

Singer, Billie Holiday, was born in Baltimore, Maryland, in 1915. She died in New York aged just 44. Her early life was obscure, but apparently hard. When she recorded her first sides with Benny Goodman, You're Mother's Son-in-Law and RiffinThe Scotch, she had discovered that, although she was scared to death of recording, singing would save her from a life of drudgery. On her early recordings with Teddy Wilson, the thought of release from such a life still rang joyously in her performances. After working with bands of Count Basie and Artie Shaw, she embarked on a solo career and made her home in Harlem. She sang All of Me with her soulmate Lester Young, playing tenor sax and Easy Living with Bob Haggart's band.

Another famous soul singer who died young was Bessie Smith. She was killed in a car crash aged just 42. One of her earliest recordings was Take Me For A Buggy Ride.

After Peggy Lee had sung Basin St Blues from an album recorded in 1988, Julie London made At Long Last Love with a band led by alto saxist Bud Shank, which brought a very entertaining evening to a close.

Jazz fans welcome at the Mosses Centre every Monday evening.

J.R.