Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) was the next big star among jazz singers after Billie Holiday (1915-59) and Ella Fitzgerald (1917-1996). In contrast to her colleagues, she had a sound musical education and was a very good pianist, which enabled her to keep up with the young Bebop musicians from the beginning. Sarah Vaughan grew up in a very Christian family in Newark, New Jersey, as a single child. She received piano lessons from the age of 7 and took an active part in the musical life of her church, as a chorus-singer and pianist. Early on, she was also interested in the latest music she heard on the radio and on records and discovered her love for jazz. In the local music scene, she and her friends were able to experience excellent musicians, and Vaughan used every occasion for her first performances as a singer and pianist. At the age of 18, she regularly went to New York’s great ballrooms, where the world’s best jazz orchestras appeared every day. At an amateur competition at the Apollo Theatre in Harlem, she impressed the singer Billy Eckstine so much that he invited her to an audition with Earl Hines, the leader of the orchestra he appeared with at the time, who immediately hired her as a second pianist and soon afterwards as the female vocal soloist next to Eckstine. In this group she met Dizzy Gillespie for the first time. The often hard touring life did not bother her, and after Billy Eckstine founded his own orchestra in 1944, she went with him. All future star soloists of the Bebop movement, from Miles Davis via Dizzy Gillespie, Gene Ammons, Dexter Gordon to Charlie Parker, were in Eckstine’s band. Her solo-career began with recordings for small labels, and she was soon signed by Columbia Records until 1953. Her great success began with her contract with Mercury Records, where she was able to record pure orchestral productions on the one hand and straight jazz albums on the other. Sarah Vaughan’s best recordings from the 50s and early 60s can be found on this CD box.
CD1
Sarah Vaughan in Hi-Fi
1. East of the Sun (And West of the Moon) 3.09
(Brooks Bowman)
2. Nice Work If You Can Get It 2.37
(I. Gershwin, G. Gershwin)
3. Pinky (Newman) 2.44
4. The Nearness of You 3.22
(Carmichael, Washington)
5. Come Rain or Come Shine (Mercer, Arlen) 3.25
6. Mean to Me (Ahlert, Turk) 2.55
7. It Might as Well Be Spring 3.13
(Rodgers, Hammerstein II)
8. Can’t Get out of This Mood 2.51
(Loesser, McHugh)
9. Spring Will Be a Little Late This Year 2.43
(Loesser)
10. Ooh, What-Cha Doin’ to Me 1.58
(Fields, Rogers)
11. Goodnight My Love (Revel, Gordon) 3.29
12. Ain’t Misbehavin’ (Razaf, Waller, Brooks) 3.05
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Miles Davis (tp)
Benny Green (tb) Budd Johnson (ts) Tony Scott (cl)
Mundell Lowe, Freddie Green (git) Jimmy Jones (p)
Billy Taylor (b) J.C. Heard (drs)
Recorded between 1949 and 1952
Hot Jazz
13. Mean to Me (Ahlert, Turk) 2.40
14. Interlude (Dizzy Gillespie) 2.31
15. What More Can a Woman Do? 3.03
(Peggy Lee)
16. No Smoke Blues (Leonard Feather) 2.27
17. East of the Sun (Brooks Bowman) 2.51
18. I’d Rather Have a Memory Than 2.43
a Dream (Feather, Russell)
19. Signing Off (Feather, Russell) 2.40
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Dizzy Gillespie (tp)
Charlie Parker (as) Flip Phillips (ts)
Bill De Arango (git) Nat Jaffe (p)
Curly Russell (b) Max Roach (drs)
Recorded in 1953
Total Time 54.27
CD2
My Kinda Love
1. Tenderly (Gross, Lawrence) 3.06
2. If You Could See Me Now 2.52
(Dameron, Sigman)
3. Don’t Blame Me (McHugh, Fields) 3.15
4. I’m Thru with Love 2.52
(Malneck, Livingston, Kahn)
5. Body and Soul 2.56
(Green, Heyman, Sour, Eyton)
6. I’ve Got a Crush on You 3.03
(I. Gershwin, G. Gershwin)
7. Once in a While (Edwards, Green) 3.08
8. I Cover the Waterfront (Green, Heyman) 2.54
9. The Man I Love (I. Gershwin,G. Gershwin) 2.47
10. Don’t Worry ‘Bout Me (Bloom, Koehler) 2.55
11. My Kinda Love (One Way to Paradise) 2.40
(Alter, Trent)
12. I Don’t Stand a Ghost of a Chance 2.47
With You (Young, Crosby, Washington)
Sarah Vaughan (voc) plus orchestra
Recorded in 1955
In The Land of Hi-Fi
13. Over the Rainbow (Harburg, Arlen) 3.30
14. Soon (I. Gershwin, G. Gershwin) 2.37
15. Cherokee (Ray Noble) 2.31
16. I’ll Never Smile Again (Ruth Lowe) 2.35
17. Don’t Be on the Outside 3.01
(Kelly, Watts, Wyche)
18. How High the Moon (Lewis, Hamilton) 2.37
19. It Shouldn’t Happen to a Dream 3.19
(Ellington, George, Hodges)
20. Sometimes I’m Happy 2.57
(Grey, Caesar, Youmans)
21. Maybe (Madden) 2.33
22. An Occasional Man (Martin, Blane) 2.32
23. Why Can’t I (Rodgers, Hart) 2.55
24. Oh My (Joe Greene) 2.23
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Ernie Royal, Bernie Glow (tp)
Kai Winding, J. J. Johnson (tb)
Cannonball Adderley, Sam Marowitz (as)
Jerome Richardson (flute, ts) Turk Van Lake (git)
Jimmy Jones (p) Joe Benjamin (b)
Roy Haynes (drs) Ernie Wilkins arranger, conductor
Recorded on October 26 and 27, 1955
Total Time 68.50
CD3
Sassy
1. Lush Life (Billy Strayhorn) 4.04
2. I’m the Girl (James Shelton) 3.00
3. Shake Down the Stars 2.48
(DeLange, Van Heusen)
4. I’ve Got Some Crying to Do 2.53
(Frisch, Wayne)
5. My Romance (Hart, Rogers) 3.16
6. I Loved Him (Cole Porter) 3.25
7. Lonely Woman (Carter, Sonin) 3.02
8. I’m Afraid the Masquerade Is Over 3.30
(Magidson, Wrubel)
9. The Boy Next Door (Blane, Martin) 2.56
10. Old Folks (Hill, Robison) 3.15
11. Only You Can Say (Frisch, Wayne) 3.01
12. A Sinner Kissed an Angel 3.44
(David, Jones, Joseph)
Sarah Vaughan (voc)
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Hal Mooney
Recorded in New York City in April 1956
Wonderful Sarah
13. Mr. Wonderful 2.50
(Bock, Holofcenter, Weiss)
14. Wanna Play House (Dane, Paul) 2.05
15. My One and Only Love (Mellin, Wood) 2.48
16. Oh Yeah (Twomay, Wise, Weisman) 2.52
17. And This Is My Beloved 3.03
(Wright, Forrest)
18. Whatever Lola Wants (Adler, Ross) 2.41
19. The Other Woman 2.14
(Jessie May Robinson)
20. Experience Unnecessary 2.52
(Shelley, Whitman,Peretti, Creatore)
21. Johnny, Be Smart (Jay, Reid, Abrams) 2.18
22. Old Devil Moon (Lane, Harburg) 2.35
23. It’s Easy to Remember (Hart, Rodgers) 2.46
24. Idle Gossip (Huddlestone, Meyer) 2.40
Sarah Vaughan (voc)
Orchestra conducted by Hugo Peretti
Recorded in New York, 1954 – 1956
Total Time 70.42
CD4
Swinging Easy
1. Shulie a Bop (Treadwell, Vaughan) 2.41
2. Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?) 3.17
(Davis, Ramirez, Sherman)
3. I Cried for You (Arnheim, Freed, Lyman) 1.41
4. Polka Dots and Moonbeams 2.36
(Burke, Van Heusen)
5. All of Me (Marks, Simons) 3.18
6. Words Can’t Describe (Bill Tennyson) 4.34
7. Prelude to a Kiss 2.47
(Ellington, Gordon, Mills)
8. You Hit the Spot (Gordon, Revel) 3.03
9. Pennies from Heaven (Burke, Johnston) 3.06
10. If I Knew Then (What I Know Now) 2.32
(Howard, Jurgens)
11. Body and Soul 3.14
(Eyton, Green, Heyman, Sour)
12. They Can’t Take That Away from Me 2.44
(I. Gershwin, G. Gershwin)
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Jimmy Jones (p: 3, 5, 6, 9)
John Malachi (p: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12)
Richard Davis (b: 3, 5, 6, 9)
Joe Benjamin (b: 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11 and 12)
Roy Haynes (drs)
Recorded in New York City in April 1954
and February 1957
Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine
– The Irving Berlin Songbook
13. Alexander’s Ragtime Band 4.03
14. Isn’t This a Lovely Day 3.54
15. I’ve Got My Love to Keep Me Warm 4.14
16. All of My Life 3.16
17. Cheek to Cheek 2.46
18. You’re Just in Love 3.44
19. Remember 2.21
20. Always 2.39
21. Easter Parade 3.16
22. The Girl That I Marry 3.00
23. Now It Can Be Told 3.44
All songs by Irving Berlin
Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine (voc)
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Hal Mooney
Recorded in 1957
Total Time 72.32
CD5
Sings George Gershwin
(Vol 1 & Vol 2)
1. Isn’t It a Pity? 3.56
2. Of Thee I Sing 3.11
3. I’ll Build a Stairway to Paradise 2.42
(Buddy De Sylva, George Gershwin,
Ira Gershwin)
4. Someone to Watch over Me 4.01
5. Bidin’ My Time 3.02
6. The Man I Love 3.37
7. How Long Has This 4.01
Been Going On?
8. My One and Only 3.15
(What Am I Gonna Do?)
9. Lorelei 2.34
10. I’ve Got a Crush on You 4.03
11. Summertime 2.53
12. Aren’t You Kinda Glad We Did? 3.30
13. They All Laughed 2.26
14. Looking for a Boy 3.42
15. He Loves and She Loves 3.27
16. My Man’s Gone Now 4.22
(G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin, Heyward)
17. I Won’t Say I Will 3.22
(DeSylva, G. Gershwin, I. Gershwin)
18. Foggy Day 3.50
19. Let’s Call the Whole Thing Off 2.25
20. Things Are Looking Up 3.35
21. Do It Again (DeSylva, I. Gershwin) 3.16
22. Love Walked In 3.10
All songs by George and Ira Gershwin,
except where noted
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Jimmy Jones (p)
Orchestra arranged and conducted by Hal Mooney
Recorded in New York City in 1957
Total Time 74.19
CD6
No Count Sarah
1. Smoke Gets in Your Eyes (Kern, Harbach) 4.00
2. Doodlin’ (Horace Silver) 4.36
3. Darn That Dream (De Lange, Van Heusen) 3.45
4. Just One of Those Things (Cole Porter) 2.32
5. Moonlight in Vermont 3.20
(Blackburn, Suessdorf)
6. No ‘Count Blues (Vaughan, Jones) 5.28
7. Cheek to Cheek (Irving Berlin) 5.09
8. Stardust (Carmichael, Parish) 3.18
9. Missing You (Ronnell Brigh) 3.28
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Eugene Young,
Joe Newman, Thad Jones, Wendell Culley (tp)
Al Grey, Benny Powell, Henry Coker (tb)
Billy Mitchell, Charley Fowlkes, Frank Foster,
Frank Wess, Marshall Royal (saxes)
Freddy Green (git) Ronnell Bright (p)
Richard Davis (b) Sonny Payne (drs)
Arranged by Frank Foster, Johnny Mandel,
Thad Jones
Recorded August 6, 7 and 8, 1957
After Hours At The London House
10. Like Someone in Love 3.38
(Burke, Van Heusen)
11. Detour Ahead (Ellis, Frigo, Carter) 5.28
12. Three Little Words (Kalmar, Ruby) 3.40
13. I’ll String Along with You 5.16
(Dubin, Warren)
14. You’d Be so Nice to Come Home To 4.00
(Cole Porter)
15. Speak Low (Weill, Nash) 4.52
16. All of You (Cole Porter) 4.15
17. Thanks for the Memory 6.59
(Robin, Rainger)
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Thad Jones,
Wendell Culley (tp) Henry Coker (tb)
Frank Wess (ts) Ronnell Bright (p)
Richard Davis (b) Roy Haynes (drs)
Recorded at The London House,
Chicago on March 7th, 1958
Total Time 73.45
CD7
Vaughan & Violins
1. Please Be Kind (Cahn, Chaplin) 3.13
2. The Midnight Sun Will Never Set 2.49
(Salvador, Jones)
3. Live for Love (Sigman, Misraki) 3.22
4. Misty (Garner, Burke) 3.00
5. I’m Lost (Otis Rene) 3.38
6. Love Me (Lehmann, Lewis) 3.10
7. That’s All (Brandt, Haymes) 3.29
8. Day by Day (Stordahl, Weston, Cahn) 3.08
9. Gone with the Wind (Wrubel, Magidson) 3.25
10. I’ll Close My Eyes (Kaye, Reid) 3.38
11. The Thrill Is Gone (Brown, Henderson) 2.27
Sarah Vaughan (voc)
Orchestra – Quincy Jones and His Orchestra
Zoot Sims (ts: 1 to 7) Marcel Hrasko (as: 1 to 7)
Jo Hrasko (brs: 1 to 7) William Boucaya (brs: 1 to 7)
Michel Hausser (vibes: 1 to 7) Pierre Cullaz (git: 1
to 7) Ronnell Bright (p) Maurice Vander (p: 8 to 11)
Richard Davis, Pierre Michelot (b) Kansas Field
(drs: 8 to 11) Kenny Clarke (drs: 1 to 7)
Roger Paraboschi (drs: 8 to 11)
Recorded in Paris in 1958: July 7th (1-4),
July 8th (5-7), July 12th (8-11)
Close to You
12. Say It Isn’t So (Irving Berlin) 2.52
13. Missing You (Ronnell Bright) 2.56
14. I’ve Got to Talk to My Heart (Bright) 3.00
15. I’ll Never Be the Same 2.29
(Malneck, Signorelli, Kahn)
16. There’s No You (Adair, Hopper) 2.23
17. I Should Care (Cahn, Stordahl, Weston) 3.29
18. If You Are But a Dream 2.51
(Jaffe, Fulton, Bonx)
19. Maybe You’ll Be There (Bloom, Gallop) 2.55
20. Out of This World (Arlen, Mercer) 2.32
21. Last Night When We Were Young 2.55
(Arlen, Harburg)
22. Funny (Reid, Kosloff, Elias) 2.59
23. Close to You 3.07
(Livingston, Lampl, Hoffman)
Sarah Vaughan (voc) arranged and performed by
Belford Hendricks and His Orchestra (15, 23)
all other songs arranged and performed by
Fred Norman’s Orchestra
Recorded in New York City on September 2, 1959 (23)
and late fall 1959
Total Time 69.48
CD8
Dreamy
1. Dreamy (Garner, Shaw) 2.58
2. Hands Across the Table (Delettre, Parish) 2.54
3. The More I See You (Warren, Gordon) 3.08
4. I’ll Be Seeing You (Kahal, Fain) 2.54
5. Star Eyes (Raye, DePaul) 3.00
6. You’ve Changed (Carey, Fischer) 3.37
7. Trees (Kilmer, Rasbach) 3.02
8. Why Was I Born 2.30
(Kern, Oscar Hammerstein II)
9. My Ideal (Robin, Chase, Whiting) 2.58
10. Crazy He Calls Me (Russell, Sigman) 3.09
11. Stormy Weather (Arlen, Koehler) 3.28
12. Moon over Miami (Leslie, Burke) 2.31
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Harry “Sweets” Edison (tp)
Gerald Sanfino (fl, as) Barry Galbraith (git)
Janet Soyer (harp) Ronnell Bright (p, celeste)
Richard Davis, George Duvivier (b)
Percy Brice (drs)
Recorded in 1960
The Divine One
13. Have You Met Miss Jones? (Rodgers, Hart) 2.21
14. Ain’t No Use (Kirkland, Wyche) 3.53
15. Everytime I See You (Dickenson) 3.01
16. You Stepped out of a Dream 2.19
(Kahn, Brown)
17. Gloomy Sunday (Carter, Javor, Ferezz) 3.25
18. What Do You See in Her (Weldon, David) 2.50
19. Jump for Joy (Ellington, Webster, Kuller) 2.26
20. When Your Lover Has Gone (Swan) 2.17
21. I’m Gonna Laugh You out of My Life 2.49
(Coleman, McCarthy)
22. Wrap Your Troubles in Dreams 2.32
(Moll, Barris, Koehler)
23. Somebody Else’s Dream (Dickenson) 2.23
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Harry “Sweets” Edison (tp)
Jimmy Jones (p, arranger)
Don Lamond (drs) others unknown
Recorded on October 11-13 and 19, 1960
Total Time 66.27
CD9
Count Basie / Sarah Vaughan
1. Perdido (Drake, Lengsfelder, Tizol) 2.11
2. Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?) 3.58
(Davis, Sherman, Ramirez)
3. I Cried for You (Lyman, Freed, Arnheim) 2.55
4. Alone (Freed, Brown) 3.55
5. There Are Such Things 3.13
(Baer, Meyer, Adams)
6. The Gentleman Is a Dope 2.44
(Rodgers, Hammerstein)
7. You Go to My Head (Gillespie, Coots) 4.51
8. Until I Met You (Wolf, Green) 3.09
9. You Turned the Tables on Me 3.22
(Alter, Mitchell)
10. Little Man (You’ve Had a Busy Day) 4.52
(Hoffman, Wayne, Sigler)
Sarah Vaughan (voc) Count Basie and His Orchetra:
Eugene E. Young, George Cotten, Joe Newman,
Thad Jones (tp) Albert T. Grey, Benjamin Powell,
Henry Coker (tb) Billy Mitchell, Chas. Baker
Fowlkes, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Marshall Royal
(sax) Freddie Green (git) Count Basie (p)
Edward F. Jones, Jr. (b) Sonny Payne (drs)
Recorded in New York City on July 19, 1960,
and January 10-13, 1961
After Hours
11. My Favorite Things 2.45
(Rogers, Hammerstein)
12. Ev’ry Time We Say Goodbye (Cole Porter) 2.25
13. Wonder Why (Brodszky, Cahn) 4.19
14. Easy to Love (Cole Porter) 2.11
15. Sophisticated Lady 3.51
(Ellington, Mills, Parish)
16. Great Day (Rose, Eliscu, Newman) 2.17
17. Ill Wind (Arlen, Koehler) 3.12
18. If Love Is Good to Me (Spielman, Evans) 2.11
19. In a Sentimental Mood 4.05
(Ellington, Mills, Kurtz)
20. Vanity (Bierman, Wood, Manus) 4.18
Sarah Vaughan (vocal) Mundell Lowe (git)
George Duvivier (b)
Recorded at RKO-Pathe Studio,
New York City on July 18, 1961
Total Time 66.45
CD10
Sarah + 2
1. Just in Time (Comden, Green, Styne) 2.19
2. When Sunny Gets Blue (Segal, Fisher) 3.50
3. All I Do Is Dream of You (Brown, Freed) 2.56
4. I Understand (Gannon, Wayne) 4.27
5. Goodnight Sweetheart 3.34
(Noble, Campbell, Connelly)
6. Baby, Won’t You Please Come Home 2.35
(Warfield, Williams)
7. When Lights Are Low (Carter, Williams) 2.55
8. Key Largo (Carter, Suessdorf, Worth) 3.28
9. Just Squeeze Me 4.13
(But Please Don’t Tease Me) (Ellington, Gaines)
10. All or Nothing at All (Altman, Lawrence) 3.12
11. The Very Thought of You (Noble) 4.14
Sarah Vaughan (voc)
Barney Kessel (git) Joe Comfort (b)
Recorded on August 7-8, 1962
You´re Mine You
12. You’re Mine You (Heyman, Green) 4.00
13. The Best Is Yet to Come (Leigh, Coleman) 2.52
14. Witchcraft (Leigh, Coleman) 2.56
15. So Long (Melsher, Harris, Morgan) 2.54
16. Second Time Around (Cahn, Van Heusen) 3.42
17. I Could Write a Book (Hart, Rodgers) 2.22
18. Maria (Bernstein, Sondheim) 3.13
19. Baubles, Bangles and Beads 3.35
(Forrest, Wright)
20. In Other Words (Fly Me to the Moon) 2.54
(Bart Howard)
21. Moonglow (Delange, Mills, Hudson) 2.29
22. Invitation (Kaper, Webster) 2.17
23. On Green Dolphin Street 3.05
(Kaper, Washington)
Sarah Vaughan (voc)
Quincy Jones and His Orchestra
Arranged and conducted by Quincy Jones
Recorded in 1962
Total Time 74.06