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
