Just Wondering

When was the last time you worked incredibly hard and did you feel accomplished?

Are you very active or do you prefer to just relax in your free time?

What do you do when you hang out with your friends?

Good Night

Good Morning

Sassy

Bro sent me a CD of two albums by Sarah Vaughan and it arrived today. Both with strings and the better quality one is the first lot with Quincy Jones. Superlative,



Sarah Vaughan - The Thrill Is Gone

Some vignettes and scraps from Wire -

"While Buster was working with Betty Carter at Birdland, he was approached by Sarah Vaughan's piano player, who offered him that gig. By the end of the week, he had given Carter his notice, and she was, according to Buster, "Ma-aa-aa-d! Really mad. She said, 'That's the story of my life. I sign them and develop them, and then they leave . . . ' "

Off he went and learned how to play in tune. "Sarah Vaughan could sing in front of a 16-piece band, stop the band in rehearsal, and turn around and tell the second trumpet player, 'You're out of tune'. She had perfect pitch, and she was a brilliant musician. "

During his tenure with Vaughan, Buster saw Europe for the first time. More specifically, the French Riviera, where he met Miles Davis, Ron Carter, Wayne Shorter, Herbie Hancock and Tony Williams. Buster was 20 and awed by it all. He went on to work with Nancy Wilson, where he learned, among other things, that he had a penchant for security, and that it 's really nice to make money."

Wire March 1991





"SARAH VAUGHAN AFTER HOURS (Roulette CDP 7 9327 1 2) Recorded: No details, but original issue 1961. My Favourite Things; Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye; Wonder Why; Easy To Lowe; SophisticatedLady; Great Day; Ill Wind; lf Low Is Good To Me; In A Sentimental Mod, Vanity. Sarah Vaughan (v); Mundell Lowe (g); George Duvivier (b).

SARAH VAUGHAN LIVE IN JAPAN (Accord 557302)

AFTER HOURS, with no recording details, looks like one of those duff live recordings knocking around at budget price (only 32 minutes of music too). Don't be put off, though, it's a classic. This is the (relatively) young Sarah Vaughan, and for those who worship at Billie's shrine, it's the nearest a mortal singer can get. Sarah was always a more rococo artist than her predecessor, but in both arti'sst mannerism came to take hold, to varyingly negative effect.

The youthful purity of Sarah Vaughan's voice is captured in the near-perfect setting of the earlier recording - it's breathtaking, and doesn't fall so far short of the spine-tingling effect that was uniquely Billie's. Charles Fox, in his sleeve-note, dwells on the strangeness of the backing. In fact, it's ideal; the quality of the singing becomes clearer. The controlled use of vibrato, the flexible, instrumental phrasing with dangerous leaps and intervals - this setting exposes the risks Sarah Vaughan takes, but not the flaws since there aren't any. She may be the nearest to operatic diva jazz (for good or ill) has known, but her antecedents are, like Billie Holiday's, entirely from jazz.

If 1961 is still Innocence, by 1974 it's Songs of Experience. There's an arch, almost affected quality - though Live In Japan is a fine album, and Jimmy Cobb is great. There's more scat in the later recording also - on "Like Someone" and "I'll Remember April". On "Willow", she says she's forgotten the words and scats there as well. Before the last number, Ms. Vaughan asks for requests. A lone Japanese voice pipes up "Thanks For Memory!" (no definite article). So she sings "Bye Bye Blackbird" instead. Reminds me of the old Ronnie Scott joke about requests. What a tribute to General Douglas MacArthur's Americanisation policy, though.!!

Wire April 1990

Still going through back issues of Wire for more on Sassy.

Weednesday Wonderings

A warmer sunnier day overall.
Went to Sittingbourne and Sheerness to do three visits.
Two leisure centres and supermarket cafe, Total fees £61. Yay!

CD arrived from my bro. A couple of sassy vocal jazz ease-in grooves. Mellow yellow.

Looks like I will be doing a music post soon.

Listening to Air, une premiere ambient grooves from these French geezers,

Yes, they shall be included.