A Sarah Vaughan video (The Devine One in her prime in 1965)

[brush]

Sass massages the notes on "I can't Give You Anything But Love" beautifully, and even scats a bit. The best version of this standard that I've ever run across.

The video quality isn't the greatest but this 1965 performance, recorded live in Australia is certainly sassy enough to share. Featuring a young Bob James (Fourplay) on piano with Larry Rockwell, bass and Omar Clay, drums.

[randys1]

1. Hot damn

[brush]

3. Glad you like. I call this up from time to time just to hear some real singing.

[Number23]

2. A smooth as silk and beyond cool addition to this forum

Thanks for posting.

[brush]

4. Glad to hear there are some Sarah fans here.

[randys1]

5. Not pow zoom

[brush]

6. What a voice, what a voice.

[randys1]

7. Ahh

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[tishaLA]

8. One day, while listening to the Sarah Vaughan/Clifford Brown CD

I said to a friend, God, I wish I could sing as well as Sarah Vaughan!

My friend replied, I wish I could do ANYTHING as well as Sarah Vaughan sings.

And that, my friends, is the truth (although, given my absolute druthers, I'd rather sing like Ella Fitzgerald). And PS: For those who don't own Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (or Sassy Swings the Tivoli), get it/them. Some fine ass jazz singing there.

[brush]

9. I go back and forth between the full richness of Sarah's voice to Ella's clear, bell-like tones

[tishaLA]

11. in terms of tone, I prefer Sassy

But IMO Sass had a couple problems in her career. One is that she didn't have a strong Norman Grantz-like manager to make sure her singing was shown to its best advantage, as Ella's was with the songbooks and then, in her later years, the small groups (or duet albums with Joe Pass).

The other problem is that her voice could do so any things and she wanted to show them all--it's sort of the Christina Aguilera problem.; an unrestrained love of melisma, a non-conversational mode of phrasing, and rococco ornamentations permeate her catalogue.

That makes it sound like I'm not a fan, but I think I have almost all her recordings (I do have all of Ella's extensive catalogue) and listen to them often and she's one of my five favorite singers.

BTW, do you know abouta young jazz singer named Cecile Mc...yah I'm not going to remember how to spell her name. But she's done two CDs, Womanchild and something else. She's far and away the best young jazz singer I've heard in years and she has a voice that alternates betweeni innocence and ennui. She's very clever and playful. I recommend checking her out.

[brush]

12. Ella and Sarah are at the top of the mountain IMO

Then of course there's Billie, who I can listen to all day, and Dinah and Nancy Wilson (both not strictly all jazz), Cassandra Wilson, Diane Reeves, and then the men — Johnny Hartman, Billie Eckstine, Arthur Prysock, Joe Williams, all great.

Tell what you think of Betty Carter. I'm a big fan. Some think she's flat at times but to me she makes it work.

I'll check out Cecile.

[tishaLA]

13. i ADORE Betty Carter

And Carmen, Dinah, Shirley Horn, and some Cassandra Wilson...not a huge Nancy Wilson fan, but in the past couple years I've fallen for late-period Rosemary Clooney (her Do You Miss New York? CD is quite something). (I'm especially fond of Betty's Feed the Fire, a live CD, and her Duets CD with Carmen.)

It's heresy, I know, but I'm not a big Billie fan. I probably have almost all her post-1940 stuff, but it's mostly because I feel like I should have it.

If you like Nancy Wilson, you should love Jimmy Scott. He couldn't record for years and Ms Wilson filled the void, adapting his phrasing and laconic sense of time. I also adore Johnny Hartman. He did the best version ever of one of my favorite songs ever, Billy Strayhorn's Lush Life. I've also been listening to Nat King Cole's jazz sides--the non-Nelson Riddle stuff. He was such a sensational pianist and sly singer before he was wrapped in strings. And of course Joe was great--I have him singing with both Sassy (Teach Me Tonight and If I Were a Bell) and Ella (a scat duet called Party Blues), but I prefer those brilliant collaborations with Basie and the muscular, driving swing...

Can you tell I don't get to talk about how much I love jazz very often? This thread is a release valve. Thank you.

[brush]

19. Strayhorn's "Lush Life" by Hartman is an all-time favorite of mine too

It still amazes me that Strayhorn wrote that as a teen. Where did such world weary knowledge come to someone so young? And Hartman's voice is perfect for it.

I noticed you wrote "non-Nelson Riddle" about the sides of Nat's that you like.
My God! Such heresy about the great Riddle. Perhaps you feel as I do that he is over rated and his compositions over wrought.

And thanks for the tip on Cecile McLorin Salvant. Teach1st posted a video of her and I must say, thank you both for exposing me to this wonderful talent.

[teach1st]

15. Cecile McLorin Salvant?

[tishaLA]

16. that's her. she's utterly charming IMO

Thanks for the help.

[teach1st]

17. Agreed and my pleasure!

[brush]

20. Thanks for posting this. Love to see great, new talent coming into jazz

[lovemydog]

25. Cécile McLorin Salvant

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Thanks for turning me on to it. Very nice.

Love reading this conversation. I'm learning a lot and checking out a lot of these artists. So beautiful. This music makes life worth living!

[SusanCalvin]

14. I must admit to a preference for Ella.

http://m.

[tishaLA]

18. I see your Air Mail Special and raise you a Don't Mean a Thing

with the Duke Ellington Orchestra. IMO it's among her finest scat performances. The last 3 minutes of the song, she goes into the stratosphere and swings so hard, it's incredible.

[SusanCalvin]

21. Knew which one it was as soon as I heard the opening bars!

That's my favorite version as well.

[brush]

22. Woohoo! Exquisite! Can't swing any harder than that.

My head is still nodding from side to side and my foot is still patting.
And the video is over.

Here's a little change of pace to come down on.

[tishaLA]

23. Wow, I so seldom see footage of her playing the piano

and even though I know that's how she got her start, it's still surprising to see--and she's very good, too. I've always been impressed that, even late in life, she managed to maintain that incredible range and richness despite all those years of smoking.

Here's one of my favorite Sassy recording: Wave, live in Japan:

And, as an added bonus, the glorious Betty Cater and Carmen McRae singing Sometimes I'm Happy at the Great American Music Hall:

(BTW, If you don't have Carmen's tribute album to Sarah, you should get it. It even has Shirley Horn playing piano....and that woman can PLAY!)

[SusanCalvin]

24. I'm having a bit of trouble

Wrapping my head around Wave minus the bossa nova rhythm, but that's a very interesting version.

https://m.

[lovemydog]

10. Thank you brush.

Love it.

[brush]

27. Glad you like. We all need a respite from politics sometimes.

[kwassa]

26. thanks, brush and tishaLA for this jazz thread ....

My knowledge of jazz is so spotty. I don't know Sarah v., I do know Billie and Ella. I've seen Joe Williams sing, I used to see Nancy Wilson at church.

My father was a huge jazz fan, and I got most of it from him.

It was so sad to see the audience for jazz disappear.

[brush]

28. You are so welcome. Jazz is so rich, we can't let it go away.

Last edited Sat Jan 16, 2016, 05:22 PM - Edit history (1)