Sarah the Tame

I am a big fan of the Jazz Icons series of DVDs, which has uncovered some of the classic jazz performances of all time. I was looking forward to viewing Sarah Vaughan: Live in ’58 and ‘64 with great anticipation. So, I am sorry to say that I found it a major disappointment.

The first set, filmed in Sweden, is the strangest of the three. Apparently filmed for television, Sarah ends each number by thanking the audience, yet there is no sound of applause. I’m not sure if they later added canned applause or what, but it’s a bit disconcerting as presented here. And Vaughan’s vocals, while lovely and always musical, are simply tame and uninspired. The other set from 1958, filmed in Holland, is clearly in front of a live audience, but the effect is the same: lovely but bland. In the third set from 1964, we see Vaughan in a bad wig and sweating profusely through a somewhat livelier vocal delivery.

While the material she’s chosen - “Misty,” “Lover Man,” “Tenderly,” “Sometimes I’m Happy,” “Maria” (from West Side Story), among others - is impeccable and the group behind her is terrific, the overall effect of the whole is something less than the parts.

Sarah Vaughan - "You're Not the Kind" (1951)

Happy Birthday, Sarah!

Happy Birthday, Sarah Vaughan!

Sarah Vaughan’s long and storied career was larded with highlights, so it is nearly impossible to choose any short “best of” list. One of her most enjoyable albums for my money was Viva! Vaughan, recorded in 1964. This is a collection of tunes set to bossa nova and other Latin rhythms. Produced by Quincy Jones for Mercury Records, and arranged and conducted by Frank Foster (a veteran of the Count Basie Orchestra), the LP is big band jazz at its best, with five Latin percussionists setting the undulating beat. Although it appeared at the height of the bossa nova craze, the album didn’t sell.
     The song list is a mix of standards such as “Fascinating Rhythm” and “Tea for Two” along with bossa nova favorites like “Jive Samba” and (a gender-altered) “The Boy From Ipanema.” One of my favorites is an Afro-Cuban flavored “Fever.” Vaughan is both sultry and playful in her vocal, responding on the fly to what the band is playing. She actually messes up the lyrics. She sings “Chicks were meant to give you fever/Be it Fahrenheit or Centigrade/They give me fever” but she meant to sing “give you fever” in the last phrase. In an attempt to recover, she then sings “when they kiss them” – a complete mangling of pronouns. But the song swings so well that all cross-purpose fevers and kissing are forgiven.
     “[Vaughan] had many voices,” stated arranger Foster. “She had a serious voice, she had a voice that approached operatic proportions, she had a top-drawer pop-singer voice, she had a jazz singer’s voice, and she had a little puckish, mischievous style she’d go into.” All of these voices are on display in “Quiet Nights (Corcovado),” the bossa nova classic. Her first pass through the song is playful, almost mocking of the whole sentiment of love, as she uses her voice to exaggerate the love-skeptical heroine. After the orchestral bridge, Vaughan takes it seriously with a gorgeous repeat of the song, ending with a contented sigh.
     You will, too, if you listen to this wonderful album.