How Moody Became Famous

I thought that we had come to the end of the current Rifftides series of James Moody entries until I heard from a reader who wondered why she had never heard Moody's "I'm in the Mood for Love." That is a puzzle, given the record's ubiquity, but if even one person has the pleasure of hearing it for the first time, how can we refuse? Here is Moody's 1949 recording with the Swedish All-Stars, followed by King Pleasure (Clarence Beeks) in 1952 singing Eddie Jefferson's lyric set to Moody's solo. Blossom Dearie sings the bridge originally improvised by pianist Thore Swaneberg. I'm glad our reader asked. This is a good way to start the week.