Posted by Bill Epstein [ 65.25.4.51 ] on November 08, 2007 at 21:24:56:
Listening to side one of Sarah Vaughan.
This 50's recording's a little smoky, with a touch of old-timey microphone sound but beautifully captures her voice. And what a voice. Not yet matured into those deep tones that later gave her a range like Eva Sumac and before she began breaking out with the 'scat"; but a perfect jazz/blues contralto. These are ballads more in the style created by Billie Holiday but with far more emotion and perfected by Ella Fitzgerald who always seems to lose her 'soul' in the studio. April In Paris, He's My Guy, and Embraceable You are the types of songs here sung in a way to make you forget how many times you've heard them before.
There are excellent riffs too, not merely accompaniements by big stars Clifford Brown on Trumpet, Paul Quinichette, Tenor Sax, and Herbie Mann, Flute, then sidemen Jimmy Jones, Piano, Joe Benjamin, Bass, and Roy Haynes,who should be a star, Drums.
On a label called EmArcy, by way of Mercury Records, #MG36004 and available, like my ex-wife, at fine stores everywhere.
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