I would suggest her GERSHWIN LIVE album in 1982. It was a grand showcase of her deep contralto and how the orchestra (led by Tilson) was revealed to be the perfect accompnaiment for such an outsized talent and incredible voice. Her "My Man's Gone Now" from that album is potent mix of film noir, movie scoring and a dizzying spiral from top notes to the lowest notes I ever heard.
Joseph in rainy Manila > On 4 Nov 2002 at 20:27, mack watson-bush wrote: > >> Brenda wrote: >> >> Sarah Vaughan - "You Are Too Beautiful" >> >> >> Brenda, I have read your posts about Sarah more than once and thus >> want some advice from you. I remember seeing her for the first time, >> probably 15-20 years ago now, on some awards show, back when I still >> watched them. I had heard of her but that was the extent of my >> knowledge about her at that time. On this program, she had a >> handkerchief and was wiping the sweat from her brow as she sang. I >> don't remember the song but it was something deep, touching, and she >> wrung the emotion from it and gave it to me through the t.v. screen. >> All I could think was "damn, she is good." I then went out and bought >> a couple of her albums but they weren't like the Sarah on the t.v. >> The tunes she did on these albums were sweet, pretty songs. I wanted >> the gritty, real songs by Sarah Vaughn. I know there must be some. >> Help. > > LOL! Well, she was a pop singer back in the day...so I could easily see > how you ended up with the sweet side. > > I highly recommend the following: > > Four of the records from the Pablo years: > > Duke Ellington Songbook Vol.1 > Duke Ellington Songbook Vol.2 > How Long Has This Been Going On and > Crazy & Mixed Up ( My all-tme fave) > > She was a big time smoker. And by the time she did these records her > voice had deepened considerably. Yet she didn't lose power. Her > instrument was huge. I saw her live in Boston in 1986 and I was > floored. I hadn't seen anything like it before and haven't seen > anything like it since. > > From her earlier years, I suggest: > > At Mister Kelly's (1957, a live record away from the orchestras), Sarah > Vaughan with Clifford Brown (It was originally released in 1954 and > just called Sarah Vaughan - I think - but you'll find it now under this > title) and Sarah Sings Soulfully probably the best from the Roulette > years. > > She started off as the second pianist and vocalist for Earl Hines. She > was a singer in Billy Eckstine's orchestra at the same time as Charlie > Parker and Dizzy. I think her being a pianist as well shows in her > singing....to me she sings like a musician plays...she sings like THOSE > guys played. > > She is still my hero. > > Brenda
