[TR24][OF] Aretha Franklin - Unforgettable: A Tribute To Dinah Washington - 1964/2011 (Soul, R&B)

Aretha Franklin, vocals, piano
Ernie Hayes, piano, organ
Paul Griffin, organ
Teddy Charles, vibes
George Duvivier, bass
Gary Chester, drums
Ernie Royal, trumpet
Buddy Lucas, tenor sax, harmonica
Bob Asher, trombone
Strings arranged and conducted by Robert Mersey

Unforgettable: A Tribute to Dinah Washington is the sixth studio album by American singer Aretha Franklin. Released on February 18, 1964, by Columbia Records, The album is a tribute dedicated to the recently deceased singer Dinah Washington. The sessions were recorded in New York. A few tunes were cut with strings in order to bring out the essential ballad character of the songs (with the help of Bob Mersey's arranging); most of the tracks, though, were made with the assistance of a small and sympathetic accompanying group for which Mersey supplied minimal written guidance.
Since her youth Franklin had admired Dinah Washington, and it's a safe bet that the level of emotional commitment Washington brought to her work was a major influence on the blossoming style of Aretha, not to mention Washington's effortless sense of swing. Shortly before she died, Washington took appreciate notice of her acolyte as well. So Aretha's tribute to Washington is as logical as it is satisfying. Recorded when Aretha was just 21, UNFORGETTABLE is somewhat of a departure from her more R&B-oriented early work. However, the string arrangements of Johnny Mersey adn the jazzy bass work of George Duvivier mesh perfectly with Franklin's high-flying vocal fireworks. From the slow, subtle caress of "What a Difference a Day Made" to the organ-led blues of "Nobody Knows the Way I Feel This Morning," the young Aretha is in total command of the material here, simultaneously paying homage to and progressing from the influence of Washington.