I was very happy to learn that LML Music, which was founded by Lee Lessack, and David Friedman's Midder Music have inked a deal that will allow LML to distribute the recordings of the late, great singer Nancy LaMott.

LaMott, who lost her battle with cancer in 1995 at the age of 44, was blessed with one of, if not the, most beautiful voices in the cabaret world: a rich, lush, honey-toned sound that could be soft, sweet and creamy one minute and big and belty the next. She also possessed a remarkable ability to find the emotional center of any song, bringing a lyric to life as honestly as possible.

Beginning in January 2005, LML will begin selling LaMott's recordings, which have mostly been unavailable for the past few years. Those recordings, all originally released on the Midder label, include “Beautiful Baby,” “Come Rain or Come Shine: The Songs of Johnny Mercer,” “My Foolish Heart,” “Just in Time for Christmas” and “Listen to My Heart” as well as the posthumously issued “What’s Good About Goodbye?" LML will also distribute compilation and live recordings of LaMott that have never before been released.

I've heard that the first "new" recording may be a live Tavern on the Green concert or a compilation of the unreleased tunes Jonathan Schwartz plays on his radio program. Stay tuned for more.