Lilian Terry - The Song Is You · Italy's First Lady of Jazz (Remastered) (2025) (Hi-Res)

Lilian Terry (1930–2023) was born in Cairo and raised in Rome. A pioneering jazz singer on Italian television in the 1950s, she recorded actively between 1957 and 1963 with top Italian musicians —Romano Mussolini, Oscar Valdambrini, Gianni Basso, Enrico Intra, Dino Piana, Sergio Fanni— and international artists like George Gruntz, George Joyner, and Buster Smith. She sang jazz standards in English and Italian, always with elegance and emotional depth. “Lilian Terry sounds the most American of the handful of European singers who have made it in jazz, yet she has the most international background of them all,” said producer George Avakian. Her voice was pretty and expressive, marked by beat, feeling, good intonation, and a flexible, intimate quality that made her unlike anyone else. A tireless jazz promoter, she gradually shifted her focus to organizing events and educational projects aimed at promoting jazz awareness. For all these qualities—and her enduring contributions as a jazz artist—she is rightfully considered Italy’s First Lady of Jazz.

—Jordi Pujol

"In the late 1950s and ‘60s, Lillian Terry (1930-2023) was considered Italy’s top jazz singer. She sang in English (and occasionally Italian) without an accent, swung, and had a real feeling for the music. While she remained very active behind the scenes as an organizer of concerts and educational projects, a television and radio host, and an interviewer of jazz greats, after 1963 she only recorded three full albums. Those included one apiece with the Tommy Flanagan Trio and Dizzy Gillespie, and she also guested on an album with her son pianist Francesco Crosera who is still quite active.

The Song Is You has most of Lillian Terry’s earliest recordings, dating from 1957-63 and only bypassing four songs. With the exception of four standards sung mostly in Italian (including “One For My Baby”), the vocalist could easily pass for an American West Coast cool jazz singer of the era. Other than bassist George Joyner and drummer Buster Smith who are on one session, all of the supportive musicians are Europeans. These include pianists Enrico Intra, George Gruntz and Romano Mussolini (Benito’s son!), trumpeter Oscar Valdambrini, valve trombonist Dino Piana, and tenor-saxophonist Gianni Basso, each of whom are excellent. Among the highlights are “I’ve Got It Bad,” “St. Louis Blues,” “Too Close For Comfort,” a multi-tempoed version of “The Song Is You,” “’Round Midnight,” and “Tune Up.”

Although it is a pity that Lillian Terry did not record much more in her career, The Song Is You gives today’s listeners a definitive look at how fine a singer she was during her early period."

—Scott Yanow (July, 2025)
Los Angeles Jazz Scene

Sources:
Tracks #1-3, from the 12-inch LP Romano Mussolini con Nunzio Rotondo e Lilian Terry
(RCA Italiana LPM10010)
Track #4, from the 7-inch (45 rpm) Liberty G 7017
Tracks #5 & 8, from the 7-inch (45 rpm) CGD N 9260
Tracks #5-8, from the 7-inch (45 rpm) “Lilian Terry – In Swing!” (CGD - E6096)
Tracks #9 & 10, from the 7-inch (45 rpm) “Four of Us” Vol.1 (CGD - N 9333)
Tracks #11 & 12, from the 7-inch (45 rpm) “Four of Us” Vol.2 (CGD - N 9334)
Tracks #13-18, from the 12-inch LP “Lilian Terry Presents Abito Da Sera” (CGD SR-1013)
Tracks #19 & 20, from the 7-inch (45 rpm) “International Jazz Festival Comblain-la-Tour" (Belgadisc BGD 5575)

Personnel:

Tracks #1-3: ROMANO MUSSOLINI Quintetto
Romano Mussolini, piano; Gianni Sanjust, clarinet (#1); Carlo Loffredo (#1 & 2), bass; Franco Pozzi (#3) bass; Roberto Podio, drums.
Recorded in Roma, June 13, 1957

Track #4: ENRICO INTRA Sestetto
Oscar Valdambrini, trumpet; Gianni Basso, tenor sax; Enrico Intra, piano; Alberto Pizzigoni, guitar; Giorgio Azzolini, bass; Gianni Cazzola, drums.
Recorded in Milano, 1958

Tracks #5-8: ENRICO INTRA Quintetto
Oscar Valdambrini, trumpet; Gianni Basso, tenor sax; Enrico Intra, piano; Giorgio Azzolini, bass; Gianni Cazzola, drums; Quartetto Radar, vocals (#6, 8).
Recorded in Milano, 1960

Tracks #9-12: GEORGE GRUNTZ Trio
George Gruntz, piano; George Joyner, bass; Buster Smith, drums.
Recorded in Milano, December, 1961

Tracks #13-18: ENRICO INTRA’s Ensemble
Sergio Fanni, trumpet (#14 & 15); Dino Piana, valve-trombone (#17 & 18); Gianni Basso, tenor sax (#17 & 18); Enrico Intra, piano; Roberto Nicolosi, celeste (#13); Franco Cerri, guitar; Pallino Salonia, bass; Pupo De Luca, drums.
Recorded in Roma, September, 1962

Tracks #19-20: ENRICO INTRA Quintetto
Dino Piana, valve-trombone; Enrico Intra, piano; Franco Cerri, guitar; Pallino Salonia, bass; Pupo De Luca, drums.
Recorded live at Comblain-la-Tour Jazz Festival, August 4, 1963

Original recordings produced by Enzo Micocci (#1-3), Teddy Reno (#4), Ladislao Sugar (#5-18), and Joe Napoli (#19 & 20)
Compiled and produced for CD release by Jordi Pujol
Special thanks to Jean-Pol Schroeder
© 2025 by Fresh Sound Records

Mono · 24-Bit Digitally Remastered
Blue Moon Producciones Discograficas S.L.



Tracklist
01. I've Got It Bad and That Ain't Good (Ellington-Webster) 3:12
02. St. Louis Blues (W.C. Handy) 3:16
03. He's Funny That Way (Moret-Whiting) 3:55
04. Fever (Cooley-Davenport) 2:56
05. My Heart Belongs To Daddy (Cole Porter) 2:38
06. Don't Worry ‘Bout Me (Bloom-Koehler) 3:12
07. Too Close for Comfort (Bock-Weiss-Holfcener) 2:32
08. The Song Is You (Kern-Hammerstein II) 2:50
09. Lover Man (Davis-Sherman-Ramirez) 5:02
10. That's All (Brand-Haymes) 3:21
11. 'Round Midnight (Monk-Williams-Hanighen) 5:26
12. That Old Black Magic (Arlen-Mercer) 2:31
13. Misty (Garner-Burke) 2:44
14. Se lei verrà da te (La Montaña) (Alguero-Moreu-Wilder-Terry) 3:25
15. Goodbye (Gordon Jenkins) 4:25
16. Beviamo sopra (One for My Baby) (Arlen-Mercer) 3:53
17. Tutto sucede a me (Everything Happens To Me) (Dennis-Adair) 4:02
18. Io non posso amare (When I Fall in Love) (Young-Heyman-Cavallere) 3:50
19. St. Thomas (Rollins-Crossara) 3:59
20. Tune Up (Davis-Crossara) 4:15