Alexandria The Great

This week on Night Lights it's "Alexandria the Great," a program devoted to the late 1950s and early 1960s recordings of the little-known singer Lorez Alexandria, who left a Chicago gospel background behind for the world of jazz, recording with Ramsey Lewis, Wynton Kelly, and others. Often compared to Sarah Vaughan and Carmen McRae, Alexandria also liked to lag behind the beat, assuring nervous bandmates, "Don't worry, I'll catch up at the end." We'll hear music from her two Impulse LPs, Lorez Alexandria the Great and More of the Great Lorez Alexandria, as well as two early King LPs and an Argo LP, Early in the Morning, done with Lewis' trio and members of the Count Basie band.