Lorez Alexandria was an American

United States

The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...

 jazz

Jazz

Jazz is a musical style that originated at the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States. It was born out of a mix of African and European music traditions. From its early development until the present, jazz has incorporated music from 19th and 20th...

 and gospel

Gospel

A gospel is an account, often written, that describes the life of Jesus of Nazareth. In a more general sense the term "gospel" may refer to the good news message of the New Testament. It is primarily used in reference to the four canonical gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John...

 singer.

She began as a singer in churches in her teens, and spent 11 years as part of an a cappella choir. Turning to jazz, she worked the local Chicago club scene before moving to Los Angeles in 1962 to further her career.

She remains best known for her album Alexandria the Great (Impulse! Records

Impulse! Records

Impulse! Records was an American jazz record label, originally established in 1960 by producer Creed Taylor as a subsidiary of ABC-Paramount Records, based in New York City...

, 1964), which featured her in a variety of contexts ranging from big bands to small groups, including several tracks with the Wynton Kelly

Wynton Kelly

Wynton Kelly was a Jamaican-born jazz pianist, who spent his career in the United States. He is perhaps best known for working with trumpeter Miles Davis from 1959-1962.-Biography:...

 Trio.

Other musicians she recorded with included King Fleming

King Fleming

Walter "King" Fleming is an American jazz pianist and bandleader.A classmate of Sonny Cohn, after playing trombone in the McKinley High School band, Fleming went on to study at the Midwest College of Music. He had already led several informal bands before King Fleming and His Swing Band first...

, Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Lewis

Ramsey Emmanuel Lewis, Jr. is an American jazz composer, pianist and radio personality. Ramsey Lewis has recorded over 80 albums and has received seven gold records and three Grammy Awards so far in his career.-Biography:...

, Howard McGhee

Howard McGhee

Howard McGhee was one of the very first bebop jazz trumpeters, together with Dizzy Gillespie, Fats Navarro and Idrees Sulieman. He was known for lightning-fast fingers and very high notes...

, Gildo Mahones

Gildo Mahones

Gildo Mahones is an American jazz pianist.Early in his career, Mahones played with Joe Morris and Milt Jackson. He served in the Army during the Korean War and then played with Lester Young from 1953 to 1956. Later in the 1950s he toured with the Jazz Modes , Sonny Stitt, and Benny Green...

 and Houston Person

Houston Person

Houston Person is an American jazz tenor saxophonist and record producer. Although he has performed in the hard bop and swing genres, he is most experienced in and best known for his work in soul jazz. Person is also known for his distinctive sassy sound and his expressive style of playing...

.

Discography

• This is Lorez Alexandria (with the King Fleming Quartet) (King, 1957)
• Lorez sings Prez (King, 1957)
• Lorez sings the band swings (King, 1959)
• Sings songs everyone knows (King, 1959)
• Early in the morning (with Ramsey Lewis) (Argo, 1960)
• Sing no sad songs for me (Argo, 1960)
• Deep Roots (Argo, 1962)
• For swingers only (Argo, 1963)
• Alexandria the Great
  Alexandria the Great
  Alexandria the Great is the third studio album by the American jazz singer Lorez Alexandria.- Track listing :# "Show Me"  – 4:05# "I've Never Been in Love Before"  – 2:20...
  
  (Impulse, 1964)
• More of the Great Lorez Alexandria (Impulse, 1964)
• Didn't we (Pzazz)
• From Broadway to Hollywood (Trio, 1977)
• How will I remember you ? (with Gildo Mahones) (Discovery, 1978
• A Woman Knows (Discovery, 1978)
• The songs of Johnny Mercer (Discovery, 1980)
• Harlem Butterfly (with Gildo Mahones) (Discovery, 1984)
• Tangerine (with Gildo Mahones) (Trend, 1984)
• My one and only love (Sony, 1986)
• Dear to my heart (with Gildo Mahones) (Trend, 1987)
• May I come in ? (Muse, 1990)
• Star eyes (Muse, 1993)