It’s a coin flip as to whether Sarah Vaughan or Ella Fitzgerald can lay claim to being the “first” female vocalist to embrace the challenges of bebop. No one will argue that Sassy had the larger range, as her voice has been labeled “operatic” by a plethora of critics. This two disc set has her in her absolute be-boppingest, with some of the biggest names that started modern jazz.
Vaughan’s classic version of “Lover Man” with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker is included here, and sets the tone for the mix of modern harmonies and forward looking rhythms that created a seismic change in jazz and pop music. Other pieces with Gillespie include a gorgeous “East of the Sun” while her stint with the legendary Billy Eckstine Orchestra produced the absolutely classic rendition of “Don’t Blame Me.”
Other worthwhile ventures happened when Sarah Vaughan teamed up with proto-bopper tadd Dameron’s Orchestra on sleek “If You Could See Me Now,” “You’re Not the Kind” and “My Kind of Love” while she oozes with sensuality on “I’ve Got a Crush On You” and “Body and Soul” with George Treadwell’s Orchestra. A summit meeting with iconic tenor saxist Lester Young leaves us with “The Man I Love” and an intimate quartet lead by pianist Jimmy Jones along with John Collins/g, Al McKibbon/b and Kenny Clarke/dr deliver fantastic arias of “Once In Awhile” and “How Am I To Know.” Sarah Vaughn made magisterial singing sound sensuous and earthy; this is the foundation of everything you’ve ever heard since.