Jazz / Vocal, Bop, Standards, Traditional Pop, Vocal Jazz
Sarah Vaughan - Vocals
George Duvivier Bass
Michael Cuscuna Producer
Mundell Lowe Guitar
Teddy Reig Producer
Newly remixed for greatly improved sound, this intimate 1961 session with Sarah backed only by Mundell Lowe's guitar and George Duvivier's bass is one of the finest musical statements of her career.
From 1961-1962, Sarah Vaughan recorded two albums while accompanied by just guitar and bass. Her 1962 outing for the obscure Reactivation label (with guitarist Barney Kessel and bassist Joe Comfort) remains out of print, but her earlier set with guitarist Mundell Lowe and bassist George Duvivier was finally reissued in 1997, along with one previously unreleased selection ("Through the Years") taken from a slightly earlier exploratory session with the same players. Surprisingly, Lowe only has one solo, so the emphasis throughout is exclusively on Sassy's magnificent voice. The program mostly sticks to ballads, with a couple of exceptions (most notably "Great Day"), and is a quiet and intimate affair, with Vaughan more subtle than she sometimes was. Despite a lightweight version of "My Favorite Things" that will not remind listeners of John Coltrane, this is an excellent if brief set (34-and-a-half minutes) with some fine jazz singing. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide |
