Mink Jazz

As Peggy Lee continued to make pop albums for Capitol throughout the early '60s, she'd use her extra studio time to record the jazz stylings that were her true calling. Though these tracks were often left off the official albums, they were eventually compiled on the 1965 release Mink Jazz, which went on to become one of Lee’s most enduring albums. Capitol desperately wanted to turn the blonde Lee into another Doris Day, but she was always more comfortable and effective playing the jazz chanteuse than the squeaky-clean pop vocalist. Though she didn’t possess the fierce sense of swing of an Anita O’Day or the virtuosity of an Ella Fitzgerald, few could match Lee for setting a mood. “My Silent Love,” “Days of Wine and Roses,” “Cloudy Morning," and “I’m a Fool to Want You” are why listeners return to Lee’s work after all these decades. No one recorded hotter torch songs, but Lee also had genuine jazz credentials. Her rhythmic fluency and fiery timing jump out on “It’s a Big Wide Wonderful World!,” “The Lady Is a Tramp," and “I Won’t Dance.”