What a Diff'rence a Day Makes

by Dinah Washington

Overview

One of the more notorious albums in the history of vocal music, What a Diff'rence a Day Makes! is the lush session that bumped up Dinah Washington from the "Queen of the Blues" to a middle-of-the-road vocal wondress -- and subsequently disenfranchised quite a few jazz purists. Washington had been praised in the same breath as Holiday and Fitzgerald for more than a decade, but Mercury nevertheless decided to back her with mainstream arrangements (by Belford Hendricks), heavy strings, and wordless vocal choruses similar to the radio hits of the day. Apparently, the mainstream backings didn't faze Washington at all; she proves herself with a voice as individual and evocative as ever. To be honest, the arrangements are quite solid for what they're worth; though it's a bit jarring to hear Washington's voice wrapped in sweet strings, the effect works well more frequently than not. Most of the songs here are familiar standards ("I Remember You," "I Thought About You," "Cry Me a River," "Manhattan," "Time After Time"), but they've been transformed by Washington as though they'd never been sung before. The Top Ten title track is by no means the best song on the album, but its title proved prophetic for Washington's career. Though her vocal style hadn't changed at all, one day she was a respected blues singer; the next, according to most of the jazz cognoscenti, she had become a lowbrow pop singer. Thankfully, the evidence against Washington's "transformation" is provided right here. ~ John Bush

Product Details

Release Date:	07/20/2018
Label:	Universal
UPC:	4988031286319

Album Credits

Performance Credits

Dinah Washington   Primary Artist,Vocals,Lead Vocals
Milt Hinton   Guest Artist,Bass,Double Bass
Kenny Burrell   Guest Artist,Guitar
Joe Zawinul   Guest Artist,Piano
Jerome Richardson   Guest Artist,Flute
Belford Hendricks Orchestra   Orchestra
Panama Francis   Drums
Belford Hendricks   Conductor
Charles Davis   Sax (Baritone)

Technical Credits

Hollis King   Art Direction
Edward O'Dowd   Design
Jack Wolf Fine   Composer
Sherniece Smith   Art Producer
William F. Collins   Composer
Joseph A. "Fud" Livingston   Composer
Marie Mose   Composer
Maria Grever   Composer
Juanita Hill   Composer
Joseph Livingston   Composer
Victor Schertzinger   Composer
Lorenz Hart   Composer
Johnny Mercer   Composer
Dinah Washington   Composer
Louis Prima   Composer
Jule Styne   Composer
James Van Heusen   Composer
Tom Greenwood   Research Coordination
Brook Benton   Composer
Anita Leonard   Composer
Gus Kahn   Composer
Fud Livingston   Composer
Stanley Adams   Composer
Jay Livingston   Composer
Richard Rodgers   Composer
Maria Mendez Grever   Composer
Matty Malneck   Composer
Tracey Thorn   Composer
Stan Rhodes   Composer
Kelly Owens   Composer
Clyde Otis   Composer,Producer
Barbara Belle   Composer
Belford Hendricks   Arranger,Composer
Ben Watt   Composer
Carlos Kase   Research Coordination
Fred Wise   Composer
Barbara Bell   Composer
Chuck Stewart   Photography
Johnny Burke   Composer
Sammy Cahn   Composer
Al Frisch   Composer
Arthur Hamilton   Composer