CCMusic.com

Babs Gonzales was a Beat poet who became one of the premier jazz vocalists of the be-bop era; famous for penning the Dizzy Gillespie song "Oop-Pop-A-Da." from 1950 to 1953, Babs was a vocalist for the James Moody band and later played and recorded with such luminaries as Jimmy Smith, Sonny Rollins, Benny Green and Johnny Griffin, among others. On the rare 1955 recordings presented here, Babs is backed by organist Teddy Brannon, along with an unknown tenor sax and drummer. Includes the classic, "Be-Bop Santa Claus." All selections newly remastered.