Along with Billie Holiday, Anita O’Day and Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Lois Vaughan 91924-1990) was one of the pioneers of jazz vocals, with the latter three ladies taking it to the level of bebop in the modern age. This 3 disc, 69 song set features here tenure with Columbia Records, just after leaving the bebop label Musicraft and before joining on with Mercury where she hit her jazz stride.
There is a lot to appreciate during this window, as she had some big hits with pop ballads such s “That Lucky Old Sun”, “Make Believe (You are Glad When You’re Sorry)”, “I’m Crazy to Love You” all with Joe Lippman’s Orchestra. She’s backed by Norman Leyden’s Orchestra on “Our Very Own” and oozes with George Treadwell’s All Stars on “I Cried For You”. Pianist Bud Powell, guitarist Mundell Lowe and saxist Al Klink join the band for sleek Top Ten hit “I Love The Guy” as well as “Thinking Of You”.
In late 1949- early 1950 she was on a handful of true jazz sessions, accompanied by Joe Lippman’s Orchestra that included Billy Butterfield/tp, Taft Jordan/tp, Toots Mondello/as, Hymie Schertzer/as and Cozy Cole/dr on “The Nearness of You” and “You’re Mine You.” Most bonafide is a May 18-19, 1950 recording of “AIn’t Misbehavin”, “It Might As Well Be Spring” “East Of The Sun”, “Come Rain Or Come Shine” and a handful other tunes where Sassy is teamed with Miles Davis/tp, Bennie Green/tb, Tony Scott/cl, Budd Johnston/ts, Jimmy Jones/p, Freddie Green/g, Billy Taylor/b and JC Heard/dr.
Also included here in studio form is a summit with Vaughan with Billy Eckstine as they duet on a swooning “Ev’Ry Day (I Fall In Love)” and “Dedicated To You” with Vaughan swooping like a pelican. A collection of concerts are tacked on at the end of the collection, with Vaughan accompanied by pianist Jimmy Jones in Carnegie Hall giving arias of “Once In A While” and “Mean To Me”. She swings at The Apollo Theatre with Stan Getz’s orchestra that includes Zoot Sims, Gerry Mulligan/bs and Vaughan’s long-time drummer Roy Haynes on”You’re All I Need” and “My Gentleman Friend” and her roots are showing as she returns to bebop with Dizzy Gillespie’s quintet on a gloriously lyrical “Embraceable You.”
This era of The Divine One is sometimes overlooked due to her hard bopping subsequent years, but there are joys and gems to be found here. You’ll be glad you listened.