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Sarah Vaughan Centenary

Teasing the Korean

By Teasing the Korean
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JSngry Grand Master

JSngry

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Not everybody like her as she evolved into a more diva-esque presentation, and I get that. But skills is skills and those skills could do whatever the hell they wanted.

Somebody on here years ago complained that she treated her voice like she was an athlete, and I was like, what, when you got Michael Jordan skills, you don't use them? Did you complain about Michael Jordan being too athletic?

Singing is physical. Hell, music is physical. Mad skills alone are not a thing to be shy about displaying!

Chuck Nessa Mentor

Chuck Nessa

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5 hours ago, rostasi said:

Listening to her always makes me cry - in a good, satisfying way.
I had a friend who said that when he looked at her, he always thought
of a chocolate bunny.

Is that an Easter reference?

 

Teasing the Korean Grand Master

Teasing the Korean

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7 hours ago, soulpope said:

An accomplished singer .... but until her late career recordings she rarely touched my heart 🤔 ....

I am the opposite.  I don't like her vibrato on the later stuff. I reach for the Columbia or earlier Mercury recordings. 

soulpope Grand Master

soulpope

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2 minutes ago, Teasing the Korean said:

I am the opposite.  I don't like her vibrato on the later stuff. I reach for the Columbia or earlier Mercury recordings. 

Different strokes 😇 .... btw dig her Mercury album with Clifford Brown (btw which for me is sort of complimentary to Helen Merrill's album) ....

mjzee Mentor

mjzee

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It was Gary Giddins writing in the Village Voice who forced me to take Sarah Vaughan seriously; he was so emphatic about her brilliance that I began to pay more attention.  There was a period when there wasn't a lot of Vaughan available; that started to change with the Pablo releases.  Another thing that helped me was when I read her saying "I am NOT a blues singer!"  That helped me focus on her style, who she was and who she wasn't.  She obviously took a sensual pleasure in her range - singing for the sheer joy of singing.  And yet there was more substance to her singing than I found in Ella, who seemed to me to hit one note: that of happiness.  The only thing that still takes me aback is when I'll hear one of her later tracks on shuffle without knowing who it is, and I think it's a man singing (I also notice this with later Nina Simone); it takes a minute before I realize it's Sarah.

mikeweil Mentor

mikeweil

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On 3/30/2024 at 11:45 PM, JSngry said:

Singing is physical. Hell, music is physical. Mad skills alone are not a thing to be shy about displaying!

But there is a mental and a spiritual side as well, and balancing all these is the real challenge. Otherwise you make music that may be technically impressive, but not moving or touching.

Vaughan found her balance in her own way. In different ways at different points in her career. I personally love her early Musicraft sides best, respect her later stuff like the album with Clifford Brown, and remember being positively surprised when I bought a Pablo LP Crazy And Mixed Up. She was one of the greatest, personal tastes aside.

hopkins Community Regular

hopkins

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In addition to "Crazy and Mixed Up", previously mentioned, her Brazilian albums should not be overlooked, though they often are. "I Love Brazil" is particularly enjoyable.

Edited by hopkins
medjuck Proficient

medjuck

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I'm surprised no one's  mentioned Sara Vaughn in Hi-Fi where she's backed by -- amongst others-- Miles Davis and Budd Johnson.  There's also some early sides with Freddie Webster in Tadd Dameron's band. 

felser Veteran

felser

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3 hours ago, mjzee said:

Any recommendations for her Mainstream albums?  I have Live In Japan.

That's the best one on Mainstream.

This is my favorite jazz vocal album of all time:

image.jpeg.19597423a8f5ee8e8c1ec9f69b341a0a.jpeg

ghost of miles Experienced

ghost of miles

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1 hour ago, medjuck said:

I'm surprised no one's  mentioned Sara Vaughn in Hi-Fi where she's backed by -- amongst others-- Miles Davis and Budd Johnson.  There's also some early sides with Freddie Webster in Tadd Dameron's band. 

I didn’t mention it in this thread’s post, but the Night Lights show includes a broadcast with Billy Eckstine’s big band, sides made with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker (among them the first waxed version of “A Night in Tunisia,” aka “Interlude”), live performances at New York City’s Town Hall (featuring Lester Young on one song), recordings for the Musicraft label, and several of the Columbia sides with Miles that you mention.

Edited by ghost of miles
sgcim Proficient

sgcim

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On 3/30/2024 at 6:05 PM, Teasing the Korean said:

Sarah's 100th birthday was March 27. 

I was wondering why WKCR was playing such great music that day. I got out of the car before they said anything. As usual, they were playing entire albums on the turntable before they'd say anything.

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