Alice Babs
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Alice Babs (born Hildur Alice Nilsson in January 26, 1924) is a singer and actor from Kalmar in Sweden. While she has worked in a wide number of genres, she is best known internationally as a jazz singer. Making her breakthrough in Swing it magistern (Swing It, Teacher!) (1940), she appeared in more than a dozen Swedish language-films. Despite playing the well-behaved, good-hearted, cheerful girl, the youth culture forming with Alice Babs as its icon caused outrage among members of the older generation. A vicar called the Alice Babs cult the "foot and mouth disease to cultural life".
In 1958, she was the first artist to represent Sweden in the Eurovision Song Contest, finishing in 4th place with the song Lilla stjärna (Little Star). The same year, she formed Swe-Danes with Ulrik Neumann and Svend Asmussen. The group would later tour the United States together, before dissolving in 1961. A long and productive period of collaboration with Duke Ellington started in 1963. Among other works, Alice Babs performed his second and third Sacred Concerts that were originally written for her. Her voice has an extreme range; Duke Ellington said that when she did not sing the parts that he wrote for her, he had to use three different singers.
Alice Babs currently resides in Spain.
[edit] Filmography
- 1959 - Det svänger på slottet
- 1956 - Swing it, fröken
- 1955 - Sommarflickan
- 1953 - Resan till dej
- 1953 - Kungen av Dalarna
- 1952 - Drömsemestern
- 1947 - Sången om Stockholm
- 1945 - Skådetennis (short film)
- 1944 - Örnungar
- 1942 - En trallande jänta
- 1942 - Vårat gäng
- 1941 - Sjung och le (short film)
- 1941 - Magistrarna på sommarlov
- 1940 - Swing it, magistern!
- 1938 - Blixt och dunder
[edit] Discography
Alice Babs' discography includes more than 800 recordings since her debut with Joddlarflickan in 1939. The following is a list of her recordings available on CD, listed chronologically from when they were originally recorded.
- Vax Records CD 1003 Alice Babs & Nisse Linds Hot-trio, originally recorded: 1939-41
- Naxos 8.120759 Swingflickan, originally recorded: 1939-44
- Vax Records CD 1000 Early recordings 1939-1949
- Klara skivan KLA 7802-2 Joddlarflickan (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1939-51
- Phontastic PHONTCD 9302 Swing it! Alice Babs!, originally recorded: 1939-53
- Sonora 548493-2 Swing it, Alice! (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1939-63
- Sonora 529315-2 Ett glatt humör, originally recorded: 1940-42
- Odeon 7C138-35971/2 Alice Babs, originally recorded: 1942-1947
- Metronome 8573-84676-2 Guldkorn, originally recorded: 1951-58
- Metronome 4509-93189-2 Metronomeåren, originally recorded: 1951-58
- Metronome 5050467-1616-2-7 Alice Babs bästa (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1951-61
- Bear Family BCD 15809-AH Mitsommernacht, originally recorded: 1953-59
- Bear Family BCD 15814-AH Lollipop, originally recorded: 1953-59
- EMI 7243-5-96148-2-3 Diamanter (2 CDs), originally recorded: 1958-60
- EMI 7243-5-20153-2-0 Just you, just me, originally recorded: 1958-72
- Pickwick 751146 Regntunga skyar, originally recorded: 1958-72
- Metronome 4509-95438-2 Swe-Danes Scandinavian Shuffle, originally recorded: 1959
- RCA 74321-12719-2 Alice and Wonderband, originally recorded: 1959
- Swedish Society Discofil SWECD 401 Sjung med oss mamma (Alice Tegnér), originally recorded: 1963
- Swedish Society Discofil SWECD 400 Alice Babs, originally recorded: 1964
- Swedish Society Discofil SWECD 402 Scandinavian songs (Svend Asmussen) originally recorded: 1964
- Prophone PCD 050 Yesterday, originally recorded: 1966-75
- EMI 7243 5398942 2 Den olydiga ballongen/Hej du måne, originally recorded: 1968-76
- Prophone PCD 045 What a joy!, originally recorded: 1972-80
- Bluebell ABCD 052 There's something about me, originally recorded: 1973-78
- Prophone PCD 021 Serenading Duke Ellington, originally recorded: 1974-75
- Swedish Society Discofil SCD 3003 Om sommaren sköna - Sjunger Alice Tegnér, originally recorded: 1974
- Bluebell ABCD 005 Far away star, originally recorded: 1977
- RCA Victor 74321-62363-2 Swingtime again, originally recorded: 1998
- Sony SK 61797 A church blues for Alice, originally recorded: 1999
- Prophone PCD 062 Don't be blue, originally recorded: 2001
[edit] External links
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Alice Babs made her first recording with Duke Ellington in Paris in March 1963. It is not listed in the discography. It was recorded at the Hoche Studio (near the Arch de Triumph). The album was number TRS 11100 and was named "Serenade Of Sweden". It was recorded by Teldec for Grammofon AB Electra, Sweden. There were 15 tracks on the record and for one or more of them Alice was asked by the Duke to both play and sing. There was a handful of visitors from the arts community of Paris who had learned of this event that had crammed into the control room. At the end of recording one particularly moving track by Alice the Duke remarked to the visitors "This voice, ladies and gentlemen, embodies all the warmth, joy of life, rhythm and tragedy that, for me, is the innermost secret of jazz".
