New Pop Records

Songstress Lee Wiley's clippings go back to radio's big-band days, when she was a featured vocalist with Leo Reisman and co-starred with Paul Whiteman. Then illness sent her to Arizona for a long rest, and in recent years the name Lee Wiley has been little more than a blurred name on a few choice jazz records. But now, with her haunting soprano as sure as ever, Lee Wiley is staging a comeback.

In January she was signed for appearances on Du Mont's TV show, Once Upon a Tune. Last week she opened a four-week run in a smart East Side Manhattan nightclub, is nightly tearing the heart out of the old Gershwin and Rodgers & Hart tunes that have always been her favorites, e.g., Glad to Be Unhappy, Manhattan, and I've Got a Crush on You.

For the record market, Columbia has issued Lee's first album in a decade: Night in Manhattan (2 sides, LP). In top form, Lee has Top Performers Bobby Hackett and Joe Bushkin to back her up in some of the best gentle jazz (Street of Dreams, A Ghost of a Chance, Sugar) recorded in a long time.

Other new pop records:

The Singers' Single-Record Series (Victor; 54 sides, 45 r.p.m.). Employing nine of their top pop singers (Tony Martin, Dinah Shore, Perry Como et al.), Victor has released an avalanche of new versions of old hits (playing time: two hours 24 minutes) ranging from Walter Donaldson's My Mom (1947) back to Gus Kahn's My Isle of Golden Dreams (1919).

The Saga of Mr. Jelly Lord (Jelly Roll Morton; Circle; 12 LP sides issued, 12 to come). Jazz's genesis and exodus, told in seven hours of reminiscence, singing and solid piano-playing by one of its first prophets.

Pal Joey (Columbia; 2 sides LP). With Vivienne Segal, of the original cast, helping out on such worldly ditties as In Our Little Den of Iniquity and What Is a Man?

Ella Sings Gershwin (Ella Fitzgerald; Decca; 2 sides LP). Ella's little-girl-lost voice is well suited to some of the best ballads (Someone to Watch Over Me, Looking For a Boy, Maybe and five others) ever written.

Sparrow in the Tree Top. A bit of repetitive trivia by the author of If I Knew You Were Comin? I'd"ve Baked a Cake, which should very soon be driving its share of sensitive souls out of the nation's bars. Among those carrying on for Carry Nation are Guy Mitchell (Columbia) and Bing Crosby and the Andrews Sisters (Decca).

Pa's Not Home--Ma's Upstairs (Nellie Lutcher; Capitol; 45 r.p.m.). Another empty-parlor innuendo by the breathless, excitable Nellie Lutcher of Hurry On Down fame.

Faithful and You're the One (Frank Sinatra; Columbia). Alongside today's acrobatic baritones, the flame of the '40s sounds tame in two pleasant new ballads.

Mockin' Bird Hi!l (Patti Page; Mercury). Patti--duetting with Patti, thanks to the marvels of modern electronics--cooks up another waltz, country-style, for customers not yet fed to the teeth with Tennessee Waltz.

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