Sarah Vaughan discography [1944-2007]

 

Sarah Lois Vaughan (March 27, 1924 – April 3, 1990) was an American jazz singer, described by Jazz commentator/music critic Scott Yanow as having "one of the most wondrous voices of the 20th century."

Nicknamed "Sailor" (for her salty speech), "Sassy" and "The Divine One", Sarah Vaughan was a Grammy Award winner. The National Endowment for the Arts bestowed upon her its "highest honor in jazz", the NEA Jazz Masters Award, in 1989.

Sarah Vaughan – The Complete Roulette Sarah Vaughan Studio Sessions (8 CD, 2002/FLAC)

Sarah Vaughan recorded frequently during her three years with Roulette, and all 16 albums she completed for them plus five previously unissued tracks are included in this comprehensive eight-CD boxed set from Mosaic. The gifted singer is heard in a variety of settings, from superb small-group sessions to big-band settings and various dates bordering on easy listening; the sessions omitting the often syrupy string sections are the cream of this bumper crop. It's a joy to hear Vaughan sharing the spotlight with Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra (with its leader sitting out in favor of her regular pianist, Kirk Stuart) in a swinging "Teach Me Tonight" and a playful take of "If I Were a Bell"; it's a shame that they never recorded an entire album together. Benny Carter's big-band charts also bring out the best in Vaughan. With the exception of the forgettable "The Green Leaves of Summer," Billy May's provides the vocalist with very compatible settings. The scaled-down session with guitarist Mundell Lowe and bassist George Duvivier is among her greatest achievements of her career; the singer is relaxed and stimulated by her accompanists. A similar follow-up date with Barney Kessel and Joe Comfort is equally rewarding. The sessions which add strings, led by various musicians (Jimmy Jones, Quincy Jones, Lalo Schifrin, Joe Reisman, Don Costa, and Marty Manning) serving as both arranger and conductor, vary greatly in quality. Often first-rate (and sometimes somewhat obscure) material is sabotaged by heavy-handed writing awash in strings. But for the most part, Vaughan's gorgeous voice is able to overcome even bland backgrounds. Mosaic remains the pinnacle of reissue labels with this handsome boxed set, which includes detailed liner notes by James Gavin, lots of session photos, and a thorough discography. 

 

VA - Great Vocalists of Jazz & Entertainment [2004] Vol. 11-15 of 20

 

In this collection by the German "History" label, you get nearly 40 hours of digitally remastered original 78s and 45s. The sound quality is truly amazing - the remastering process removes hiss, clicks & pops; optimizes the equalization, and synthesizes stereo. The forty discs in this set are grouped into twenty 2-disc volumes which are dedicated to a vocalist or pair or vocalists.

Volume 11. Dinah Washington — You Can Depend On Me
Volume 12. Mildred Bailey — It Had To Be You
Volume 13. Judy Garland — I’m Nobody’s Baby
Volume 14. Sarah Vaughan — If You Could See Me Now
Volume 15. Dinah Shore — Who’s Sorry Now

VA – L'Integrale Jazz (10 CD, 2010)

 

Louis Armstrong, Ella Fitzgerald, Glenn Miller, Billie Holiday, Duke Ellington, Cab Calloway, Sarah Vaughan, Sidney Bechet, Bessie Smith and many more...

 

Verve Jazz Masters series Vol. 41-50

 Jazz Masters is a series of mainly single artist compilations released by Polygram/Verve between 1994 and 1996. The compilations collect material that was originally released on Verve or on one of the labels that became part of the Polygram group. The 20th and 60th releases in the series were various artist collections.

VJM 41 - Tal Farlow

VJM 42 - Sarah Vaughan - The Jazz Sides

VJM 43 - Ben Webster

VJM 44 - Clifford Brown And Max Roach

VJM 45 - Kenny Burrell

VJM 46 - Ella Fitzgerald - The Jazz Sides

VJM 47 - Billie Holiday Sings Standards

VJM 48 - Oliver Nelson

VJM 49 - Anita O'Day

VJM 50 - Sonny Stitt

 

Verve Jazz Masters series Vol. 11-20

 Jazz Masters is a series of mainly single artist compilations released by Polygram/Verve between 1994 and 1996. The compilations collect material that was originally released on Verve or on one of the labels that became part of the Polygram group. The 20th and 60th releases in the series were various artist collections.

VJM 11 - Stéphane Grappelli

VJM 12 - Billie Holiday

VJM 13 - Antonio Carlos Jobim

VJM 14 - Wes Montgomery

VJM 15 - Charlie Parker

VJM 16 - Oscar Peterson

VJM 17 - Nina Simone

VJM 18 - Sarah Vaughan

VJM 19 - Dinah Washington

VJM 20 - Introducing Jazz Masters

Sarah Vaughan - A Miracle Happened (Quadromania, 4 CD, 2005/FLAC)

 

CD1

01. If You Could See Me Now

02. Don't Worry 'Bout Me

03. Penthouse Serenade (When We're Alone)

04. Don't Blame Me

05. I Can't Get Started

06. The One I Love Belongs to Somebody Else

07. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter

08. Black Coffee

09. As You Desire Me

10. Bianca

11. While You Are Gone

12. Just Friends

13. You Taught Me to Love Again

14. Lonely Girl

15. Fool's Paradise

16. You Say You Care

17. You're Mine, You

CD2

01. The Nearness of You

02. I'm Crazy to Love You

03. I Love You

04. Ev'ryday (I Fall in Love)

05. Dedicated to You

06. You're All I Need

07. Don't Be Afraid

08. Our Very Own

09. East of the Sun (West of the Moon)

10. Nice If You Can Get It

11. Can't Get Out of This Mood

12. Mean to Me

13. Come Rain or Come Shine

14. It Might as Well Be Spring

15. Ain't Misbehavin'

16. Goodnight My Love

17. Whippa-Whippa-Woo

CD3

01. Thinking of You

02. Ooh, What 'Cha Doin' to Me

03. Deep Purple

04. Vanity

05. My Reverie

06. After Hours

07. Just a Moment More

08. Pinky

09. A Miracle Happened

10. I Ran All the Way from Home

11. Time to Go

12. Corner to Corner

13. Street of Dreams

14. If Someone Had Told Me

15. Say You'll Wait for Me

16. Mighty Lonesome Feelin'

17. Sinner or Saint

CD4

01. I'll Know

02. These Things I Offer You

03. I Confess

04. A Blues Serenade

05. Can't Get Out of This Mood

06. Shulie a Bop

07. Lover Man

08. They Can't Take That Away from Me

09. Prelude to a Kiss

10. Polka Dots and Moonbeams

11. Body and Soul

12. Make Yourself Comfortable

13. You're Not That Kind

14. September Song

15. He's My Guy

16. April in Paris

17. Lullaby of Birdland

VA - Diva series (Verve, 10 CD, 2003)

 

Perfect 9+1 CD series from Verve

• Anita O'Day
• Astrud Gilberto
• Billie Holiday
• Blossom Dearie
• Carmen McRae
• Dinah Washington
• Ella Fitzgerald
• Nina Simone
• Sarah Vaughan
• The Ultimate Diva Collection

 

 

Miles Davis - Out Of The Blue [10 CD, 2010]

 

A rich collection with 157 remastered original recordings of the legendary jazz musician covering the period 1945-1957. The superb sound of Miles' trumpet with a great variety of jazz ensembles like Charlie Parker's, Billy Eckstine's, Lee Konitz's, Gil Evans' and of course, his own quintet, sextet and nonet. Also enjoy Davis, backing the unique Sarah Vaughan in six ballads. A jazz gem in perfect sound quality.

Sarah Vaughan - The Complete Sarah Vaughan on Mercury Vol. 4 (1963 1967) [6 CD, 1987]

 

The fourth of four box sets reissuing every recording Sarah Vaughan made for the Mercury and EmArcy labels (including many previously unreleased performances) starts off (after four orchestra tracks) with its strongest selections, no less than 32 songs recorded during a live four-day engagement in Copenhagen during which the singer is accompanied by the Kirk Stuart Trio. Everything else on this six-CD set is somewhat anticlimactic in comparison, for Vaughan is otherwise hindered a bit by string orchestras, a big band and/or a choir. Better to get the live sessions (released as Sassy Swings the Tivoli in addition to a Japanese set by the same name that has extra material) instead although lovers of Vaughan's voice will want to pick up this large reissue anyway.

Sarah Vaughan - The Complete Sarah Vaughan On Mercury.Vol.3- Great Show On Stage; 1957-1959 [6 CD, 1987]

 The third of four Sarah Vaughan Mercury box sets (this one has six CDs) traces her career during the last two and a half years of the 1950s. There are several very interesting sessions (expanded greatly by the inclusion of many previously unissued performances) on this box including 21 numbers from a gig at Mister Kelly's in Chicago with her trio (led by pianist Jimmy Jones), a meeting with the Count Basie Orchestra that resulted in the album No Count Sarah, and a live set with a septet (which includes cornetist Thad Jones and the tenor of Frank Wess) at the London House in Chicago. In addition, there are quite a few commercial sides with large orchestras (including some sessions arranged by Quincy Jones), so overall this box lets one hear the many sides of Sarah Vaughan; a special highlight is her first recorded version of "Misty." The reissue (and the other three volumes) is a must for Sarah Vaughan's greatest fans although more general listeners may want to acquire one of the less expensive) single CDs instead.

Sarah Vaughan - Complete Sarah Vaughan on Mercury Vol.2 - Sings Great American Songs (1956-1957) [5 CD, 1986]

 

This five-CD box set, the second of four volumes that reissue all of Sarah Vaughan's recordings for Mercury and EmArcy (plus many previously unissued performances) contains her exploration of Gershwin songs, 13 vocal duets with her close friend Billy Eckstine and just five jazz numbers with her trio; all of the other selections feature Vaughan backed by large studio orchestras, usually led by Hal Mooney. Most of the material is a bit commercial (certainly the arrangements tend to be) but Sarah Vaughan generally uplifts the songs and overcomes her surroundings. Still, listeners strictly interested in her jazz performances are advised to get some of her single CD collections instead. 

Sarah Vaughan- The Complete Sarah Vaughan On Mercury.Vol.1- Great Jazz Years; 1954-1956 [6 CD, 1987]

 

Sarah Vaughan recorded extensively for Mercury/EmArcy during the 1950s and 1960s. Through much of that time, Vaughan's operatic voice was matched against overripe orchestrations or arrangements more suitable to a pop icon than one of the most versatile instruments in history. The exhaustive 4 CD box set overview of Vaughan's work with Mercury/EmArcy is essential only to completists or the most avid fans. Vol. 1, however, which collects material from 1954-1956 over six CDs, shows Vaughan at her best, including sessions with trumpeter Clifford Brown and drummer Roy Haynes. Most of the excellent performances from Swingin' Easy are included here.