Sarah Vaughan - Sings George Gershwin (1957)

Sarah Vaughan - Sings George Gershwin (1957)

jazz | 2cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 920MB

Verve Master Edition

Verve:
As historic as is this summit meeting, Sarah Vaughan resisted being called a Gershwin interpreter -- she loathed being restricted to "straight" interpretation. Essayist Peter Keepnews says in the liner notes that Vaughan's refusal to sing just what was written yielded "textbook examples" of how the right interpretation can make a good piece of music even better.
The entirety of the original two Vaughan Sings Gershwin volumes are presented first, followed by, on disc two, a portion of one recording session as it went down -- all the takes, from the original tapes, which demonstrate Vaughan's uncanny variations in improvisation. With two previously unissued complete takes and more than forty minutes of bonus material in all.

Tracks

-01. "Isn't It a Pity?" – 3:53
-02. "Of Thee I Sing" – 3:10
-03. "I'll Build a Stairway to Paradise" (Buddy De Sylva, George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:39
-04. "Someone to Watch over Me" – 3:58
-05. "Bidin' My Time" – 3:01
-06. "The Man I Love" – 3:34
-07. "How Long Has This Been Going On?" – 3:58
-08. "My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do?)" – 3:13
-09. "Lorelei" – 2:32
-10. "I've Got a Crush on You" – 4:00
-11. "Summertime" (G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, DuBose Heyward) – 2:51
-12. "Aren't You Kind Of Glad We Did?" – 3:27
-13. "They All Laughed" – 2:23
-14. "Looking For a Boy" – 3:38
-15. "He Loves and She Loves" – 3:24
---

-01. "I Won't Say I Will" (DeSylva, G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 3:24
-02. "A Foggy Day" – 3:24
-03. "Let's Call the Whole Thing Off" – 2:22
-04. "Things Are Looking Up" – 3:33
-05. "Do It Again" (DeSylva, I. Gershwin) – 3:13
-06. "Love Walked In" – 3:06
bonus
-07. "Of Thee I Sing" – 3:23
-08. "Summertime"
-09. "Things Are Looking Up" – 3:21
-10. "I Won't Say I Will" (Buddy DeSylva, G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin) – 0:18
-11. "I Won't Say I Will" – 3:21
-12. "I Won't Say I Will" – 1:21
-13. "I Won't Say I Will" – 2:50
-14. "I Won't Say I Will" – 7:49
-15. "Of Thee I Sing" – 1:35
-16. "Of Thee I Sing" – 2:25
-17. "Of Thee I Sing" – 2:16
-18. "Of Thee I Sing" – 4:02
-19. "My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do?)" – 1:47
-20. "My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do?)" – 3:11
-21. "My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do?)" – 4:34

 sample & buy: Sings George Gershwin

 

Sarah Vaughan - Crazy and Mixed Up (1982) (XRCD)

Sarah Vaughan - Crazy and Mixed Up (1982)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 220MB

JVC | XRCD2

Allmusic:
Sarah Vaughan had complete control over the production of this album, Crazy and Mixed Up (which would be her last small-group recording) and, even if the results are not all that unique, her voice is often in near-miraculous form. With fine backup work from pianist Roland Hanna, guitarist Joe Pass, bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Harold Jones, Sassy sounds in prime form, on such songs as "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," "Autumn Leaves," "The Island" and "You Are Too Beautiful." It is hard to believe, listening to her still-powerful voice on this CD reissue, that she had already been a recording artist for 48 years.

Tracks
-1. "I Didn't Know What Time It Was" (Lorenz Hart, Richard Rodgers) - 4:02
-2. "That's All" (Alan Brandt, Bob Haymes) - 4:04
-3. "Autumn Leaves" (Joseph Kosma, Johnny Mercer, Jacques Prévert) - 5:36
-4. "Love Dance" (Ivan Lins, Vitor Martins, Paul Williams) - 3:29
-5. "The Island" (Alan Bergman, Marilyn Bergman, Lins, Martins) - 4:30
-6. "Seasons" (Sir Roland Hanna) - 5:20
-7. "In Love in Vain" (Jerome Kern, Leo Robin) - 3:09
-8. "You Are too Beautiful" (Hart, Rodgers) - 3:36
Recorded March 1,2 1982, Los Angeles, USA

Personnel
* Sarah Vaughan - vocals
* Sir Roland Hanna - piano
* Joe Pass - guitar
* Andy Simpkins - double bass
* Harold Jones - drums

sample & buy: Crazy and Mixed Up /Xrcd2

Sarah Vaughan - After Hours at the London House (1958) (eac-log-cover)

Sarah Vaughan - After Hours at the London House (1958)

jazz | 1cd | eac-flac-cue-log-cover | 250MB

Mercury | rem: 2005

Allmusic:
Seven months after Mercury recorded Sarah Vaughan in a live setting for the surprisingly successful At Mr. Kelly's, the label planned another date with the microphones for the night of March 7, 1958. This time, however, instead of setting up at Mr. Kelly's (although she was booked for three shows that night), the producers invited a small group of friends and well-wishers to another Chicago club, London House, for an after-hours session. Vaughan expanded her trio with a quartet of Count Basie titans, including trumpeter Thad Jones and tenor Frank Wess, and as if the settings weren't challenging enough already, decided to record a set that, in true after-hours fashion, was completely improvised. (The cover photo even shows her studying a sheet as she sings.) Although the results are certainly far looser and more relaxed than a studio date, Vaughan and the instrumentalists don't shine as expected. Vaughan in particular plays it safe with this material, drawing out her cozy ballads with interpretive ease, but never taking them as far as she could in a more stable setting. The format breaks down completely on the final song, "Thanks for the Memory," when Vaughan misreads a lyric, puzzles over it for a few seconds, restarts the number, flubs it again, starts over one more time, and finally wraps up after seven minutes by declaring the session -- while still singing, of course -- "the most craziest, upsettin', down-sided recording date I ever had in my life."

Tracks
-1. "Like Someone in Love" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 3:37
-2. "Detour Ahead" (Lou Carter, Herb Ellis, John Frigo) – 5:28
-3. "Three Little Words" (Bert Kalmar, Harry Ruby) – 3:40
-4. "I'll String Along with You" (Al Dubin, Harry Warren) – 5:15
-5. "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" (Cole Porter) – 4:00
-6. "Speak Low" (Ogden Nash, Kurt Weill) – 4:51
-7. "All of You" (Porter) – 4:15
-8. "Thanks for the Memory" (Ralph Rainger, Leo Robin) – 6:58
Recorded March 7, 1958, at The London House, Chicago, USA

Personnel
* Sarah Vaughan – vocals
* Ronell Bright – piano
* Richard Davis – double bass
* Roy Haynes – drums
* Thad Jones – trumpet
* Wendell Culley
* Henry Corker – trombone
* Frank Wess – tenor saxophone
* Carmen Cavallaro – introduction voice

sample & buy: After Hours at the London House