Tribute to Sarah Vaughn

Subaruguru, my favorite "Sassy" recording both musically and sonically, is "Live From Japan". Swinging rhythm section and great sonics to boot. Now, I have it on LP not CD, but it would take a lot to destroy sonics this good. Famous last words, huh? You might want to take a chance, it's a great record. Second choice: An old (1955) mono on Mercury "In The Land Of HiFi". If you do take a chance, kindly let me know what you think as I might want CD transfer of these. Cheers.

Hmm...I just bought a recently produced Verve compilation of Sarah V's hits called "Dreamsville". It's one of Verve's QUIET NOW series. Great tunes, but almost all are unlistenable and poorly mastered! (I posted the CD on ebay today, if you want it cheap!). ........
Can anyone recommend a collection of Sarah Vaughan ballads that is sonically acceptable? I hate to be a grinch, but I hate buying CDs that are listenable only in the car or from the dining room as background. Thanks. Ernie PS I just bought the remastered best of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong CD. Now THAT sounds great! Anything comparable from Sarah?

I share the same thoughts about Sarah Vaughn as you do Kev.
It sounds to me like you appreciate improvisational singers who can touch you over a wide tonal range without sounding like they are trying to hard or sounding unnatural. I have four of Dianne Reeves albums and all I can say is when Dianne is good she is oh so good. I have one album that I bought for one song in particular and that's not to say that the rest of her album is not good but the song (My Valentine) is so good I really could careless what the rest of the album sounded like. The albums name is Dianne Reeves - The Palo Alto Sessions 1981-1985. On the I Remember album, check out Misty, You Taught My Heart To Sing and For All We Know. On the album Quiet After The Storm, check out In A Sentimental Mood. These songs are impeccably done and are soul stirring to say the least. If you would like to know more about her her web site is Diannereeves.com.

Good Luck and let me know what you think.

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.