Top 50 JAzz Blog

Friday, August 22, 2014

The Young Sassy

My personal predilection is for early to middle-period Sarah Vaughan. Her voice was golden from beginning to end, but I believe the amount of ornamentation she used later in her career sometimes overwhelmed the material itself. 

On this edition of the Duplex Mystery Jazz Hour (08/21/2014), I played only early recordings, starting with her first session in 1944 with the Eckstine band and ending in 1948, with her a cappella version of Nature Boy, which, at that time, challenged Nat Cole's version in popularity. 

Ballads dominate here. My take is that record producers wanted Sarah to crossover and thought this was the way to sell female talent (unless it was targeted to the "race" audience).

Go HERE to hear the show.

Billie Eckstine "I'll Wait and Pray" (1944) on Deluxe 
Dizzy Gillespie And His All Stars Quintet "Signing Off" (1945) on Continental 
Dizzy Gillespie And His All Stars Quintet "Interlude" (1945) on Continental 
Billy Eckstein Orchestra "No Smoke Blues" (1945) on Continental 
BIlly Eckstine and His Orch. "Don't Blame Me" (1945) on Spotlight 
Sarah Vaughan "Lover Man" (1945) on Guild 
Sarah Vaughan "What More Can A Woman Do"  (1945) on Continental 
Sarah Vaughan "I'd Rather Have A Memory Than A Dream" (1945) on Continental 
Tony Scott & his Down Beat Septet "All Too Soon" (945) on Gotham 
John Kirby and His Orchestra "Time and Again"  (1946) on Musicraft 
John Kirby and His Orchestra "I'm Scared" (1946) on Crown 
John Kirby and His Orchestra "You Go to My Head" (1945) on Crown 
John Kirby and His Orchestra "I Could Make You Love Me" (1945) on Crown 
Sarah Vaughan w. Dicky Wells' Big Seven "We're Through" (1946) on H.R.S. 
Georgie Auld and His Orchestra "A Hundred Years From Today" (1946) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. Tadd Dameron "If You Could See Me Now" (1946) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. Tadd Dameron "I Could Make You Love Me" (1946) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. Tadd Dameron"My Kinda Love" (1946) on Musicraft 
Georgie Auld and His Orchestra "You're Blase"  (1946) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "I've Got a Crush on You" (1946) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "Everything I Have Is Yours" (1946) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "Body and Soul" (1946) on Musicraft 
Teddy Wilson Quintet "September Song"  (1946) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "I Cover The Waterfront" (1947) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "A Ghost of a Chance (I Don't Stand - With You)"  (1947) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. George Treadwell Orch. "Tenderly"  (1947) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. Ted Dale Orch. "I Can 't Get Started" (947) on MGM 
Sarah Vaughan w. Ted Dale Orch. "Love Me or Leave Me" (1947) on Musicraft 
Sarah Vaughan w. Ted Dale Orch. "I Get a Kick Out of You" (1947) on Musicraft [I didn't have much info on the Ted Dale Orchestra, so if anyone has anything interesting to say about them, please chime in].
Sarah Vaughan "What A Difference A Day Makes" (1947) on Musicraft 

Sarah Vaughan w. Earl Rodgers Choir "Nature Boy" from "Nature Boy" (Jazz, 1948) on Musicraft