Saturday, January 14, 2012

Sarah Vaughan: Young Sassy (4CD Box Set)


sarah vaughan

From the start of her career, Sarah Vaughan had a wondrous voice. She never declined and her voice remained a miracle throughout her career. She learned about bop phrasing during 1943-1944 when she was with the orchestras of Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine (singing alongside Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker) and, although she would perform many pop tunes throughout her life, she always phrased like a jazz singer and was never shy to change notes and improvise.
 
This magnificent four-CD set has Sassy’s first 94 recordings, everything she recorded during 1944-1950. Vaughan is heard on two songs with the Eckstine Orchestra (one of which was taken from a broadcast), on the December 31, 1944, Leonard Feather-organized session that found her performing "Interlude" (a vocal version of "A Night in Tunisia") and "East of the Sun," and four songs with Bird and Diz, and she makes appearances with clarinettist Tony Scott, violinist Stuff Smith, the John Kirby Sextet, Georgie Auld’s big band, and trombonist Dicky Wells & His Big Seven. In 1946, Vaughan signed with the Musicraft label and all of her performances for that company are here, including "If You Could See Me Now," "Everything I Have Is Yours," "Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me," "September Song," "Tenderly," "The Lord’s Prayer," "I Feel So Smoochie," "It’s Magic," and "Gentleman Friend." 
 
In 1949, Vaughan started recording for Columbia, and she is heard on some commercial dates plus such tunes as "Black Coffee," "Tonight I Shall Sleep," "I Cried for You," and "Perdido" in addition to four vocal duets with Billy Eckstine. Best of all are the eight numbers that she recorded during May 18-19, 1950, with an octet including trumpeter Miles Davis, trombonist Bennie Green, clarinettist Tony Scott, and tenor saxophonist Budd Johnson. All four horn players take perfect eight-bar solos on "Ain’t Misbehavin’," and other gems from this project include "It Might as Well Be Spring," "Mean to Me," and "Nice Work if You Can Get It." Sarah Vaughan’s box for the Proper label (which includes a very good 44-page booklet) makes for a superb (and surprisingly inexpensive) purchase and allows one to have a large slice of Sassy’s recording career.
 
Track Listing:
 
Young Sassy: I’ll Wait And Pray
01. I’ll Wait and Pray [02:57]
02. Signing Off [02:40]
03. Interlude [02:32]
04. No Smokes Blues [02:28]
05. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) [02:52]
06. Don’t Blame Me [03:00]
07. Lover Man [03:22]
08. What More Can a Woman Do? [03:03]
09. I’d Rather Have a Memory Than a Dream [02:43]
10. Mean to Me [02:41]
11. All Too Soon [02:53]
12. Time and Again [03:17]
13. I’m Scared [02:35]
14. You Go to My Head [03:03]
15. I Could Make You Love Me [02:47]
16. It Might As Well Be Spring [03:00]
17. We’re Through [02:40]
18. A Hundred Years from Today [02:57]
19. If You Could See Me Now [02:50]
20. I Could Make You Love Me [03:03]
21. You’re Not the Kind [02:59]
22. My Kinda Love [02:38]
23. You’re Blase [02:59]
24. I’ve Got a Crush on You [02:58]

Young Sassy: Tenderly
01. I’m Through With Love [02:53]
02. Everything I Have Is Yours [02:52]
03. Body And Soul [02:56]
04. Penthouse Serenade (When We’re Alone) [03:12]
05. Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me [2:58]
06. Time After Time [3:06]
07. September Song [03:04]
08. I Cover the Waterfront [02:55]
09. I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance with You [02:44]
10. Tenderly [03:03]
11. Don’t Blame Me [03:12]
12. The Lord’s Prayer [02:54]
13. Sometimes I Feel Like a Motherless Child [02:48]
14. I Can’t Get Started [02:30]
15. Trouble Is a Man [02:35]
16. Love Me or Leave Me [02:57]
17. I’ll Wait and Pray [03:01]
18. I Get a Kick Out of You [02:52]
19. The Man I Love [02:46]
20. I’m Gonna Sit Right Down (And Write Myself a Letter) [02:24]
21. The One I Love (Belongs To Somebody Else) [03:11]
22. Button Up Your Overcoat [02:28]
23. I Feel So Smoochie [02:38] 

Young Sassy: It’s Magic
01. Blue Grass [02:50]
02. It’s You or No One [03:12]
03. It’s Magic [03:10]
04. What a Diff’rence a Day Makes [02:48]
05. Gentleman Friend [02:35]
06. Once in a While [03:07]
07. How Am I to Know? [02:52]
08. Nature Boy [02:55]
09. I’m Glad There is You [03:04]
10. Bianca [03:10]
11. As You Desire Me [02:36]
12. Black Coffee [03:18]
13. While You Are Gone [03:10]
14. Tonight I Shall Sleep (With a Smile on My Face) [03:25]
15. That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day) [03:32]
16. Give Me a Song with a Beautiful Melody [02:43]
17. Make Believe (You Are Glad When You’re Sorry) [02:43]
18. You Taught Me to Love Again [03:18]
19. Just Friends [03:02]
20. Lonely Girl [02:21]
21. You Say You Care [02:51]
22. Fool’s Paradise [02:54]
23. I Cried for You [02:26]

Young Sassy: You’re Mine You
01. You’re Mine, You [03:13]
02. I’m Crazy to Love You [03:01]
03. Summertime [03:17]
04. The Nearness of You [03:21]
05. Ev’ry Day [02:59]
06. I Love You [02:41]
07. Dedicated to You [02:45]
08. You’re All I Need [03:05]
09. Our Very Own [03:15]
10. Don’t Be Afraid [02:57]
11. Ain’t Misbehavin’ [03:01]
12. Goodnight My Love [03:29]
13. Can’t Get Out of This Mood [02:51]
14. It Might As Well Be Spring [03:13]
15. Mean to Me [02:54]
16. Come Rain or Come Shine [03:25]
17. Nice Work If You Can Get It [02:37]
18. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) [03:08]
19. I Love the Guy [02:35]
20. Thinking of You [03:05]
21. Perdido [02:32]
22. Whippa-Whippa-Woo [03:09]
23. I’ll Know [03:19]
24. De Gas Pipe She’s Leakin’ Joe [02:44]

No comments:

Post a Comment