I'll have to check out Dianne Reeves. Sarah Vaughn was a one-of-a-kind. Her phrasing & style was unique, & made her quite an artist. Although I am not so fond of her earlier work, as she approached the Roulette years, 1961 on, she matured vocally & stylistically, far exceeding her somewhat run-of-the-mill & unimaginative earlier work. As some critics state, it is true that she exhibited some florid excesses at times, & did some less than ideal melodic changes or additions, for the most part, there is a wealth of talent & interpretation of the highest caliber. As much as I love Ella Fitzgerald, she wasn't as emotional of a singer as Sarah, nor was her instrument of the same size or capacity.
For those new to Sarah, try her Roulette recordings. There is a compilation on one disc that is pretty good. She recorded for Pablo in the 70's, & did some of her best work there. There is a Pablo compilation disc, but any of the recordings contain golden treasures. Her Pablo Brazil album has some very good work, & even her very last recording, Brazilian Romance on Sony, is excellent, although her voice is so deep, that her low range sounds like a man! But the smoothness & clarity is there, even at the tragic end of her short life.
For those new to Sarah, try her Roulette recordings. There is a compilation on one disc that is pretty good. She recorded for Pablo in the 70's, & did some of her best work there. There is a Pablo compilation disc, but any of the recordings contain golden treasures. Her Pablo Brazil album has some very good work, & even her very last recording, Brazilian Romance on Sony, is excellent, although her voice is so deep, that her low range sounds like a man! But the smoothness & clarity is there, even at the tragic end of her short life.