ESSENTIAL WORKS 1944 - 1962

TRACKLISTING: A1. Interlude A2. September Song A3. Lullaby Of Birdland A4. I™m Glad There Is You A5. Embraceable You B1. I Cried For You B2. Pennies From Heaven B3. Words Can't Describe B4. September In The Rain B5. Willow Weep For Me B6. Just One Of Those Things C1. The Best Is Yet to Come C2. Doodlin™ C3. The Man I Love C4. Baubles, Bangles and Beads C5. It™s Magic C6. An Occasional Man D1. Witchcraft D2. Summertime D3. Fly Me To The Moon D4. Corner To Corner D5. Whatever Lola Wants D6. Isn™t It A Pity D7. I Could Write A Book OVERVIEW: Being a female jazz singer is an exceedingly difficult role. Jazz fans are notorious tormentors quick to assassinate all forms of hypersensitivity because it unveils a pathos that is much too heavy to bear; and they are prompt to decry any excessive technique that might defeat the sensibilities of an otherwise perfect voice. And whose voice could pride itself on its perfect technique and a totally natural sensitivity? One is tempted to answer šnone,› because all the most beautiful voices, from Billie to Carmen and from Ella to Helen, have one day shown excess. Sarah Vaughan included. But when Sarah disclosed her restrained sensitivity and a technique superior to all others, she was unrivalled, even by the greatest. Her vocal range, of course, allowed her to be daring, and her inborn feeling for rhythm, melody and harmony placed her in the bosom of the orchestra, at the heart of the music. But whether her material was jazz, decidedly so, or intended for performance in front of a wider public, as in the cocktail of songs gathered here, Sarah always knew how to unveil a sensibility that was profound and yet light enough to move us. She had just what it takes to remove our shell of jaded urbanity.