THE GEORGE GERSHWIN SONGBOOK - Sarah Vaughan

YEAR: 1958/1990

LABEL: Verve/EmArcy/Polygram

TRACK LISTING: Embraceable You, Aren't You Kinda Glad We Did, They All Laughed, Looking For A Boy, He Loves and She Loves, My Man's Gone Now, I Won't Say I Will, A Foggy Day, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, Things Are Looking Up, Do It Again, Love Walked In, They Can't Take That Away From Me, 'S Wonderful, Soon, But Not For Me, Isn't It A Pity, Of Thee I Sing, I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise, Someone To Watch Over Me, Bidin' My Time, The Man I Love, How Long Has This Been Going On, My One and Only (What Am I Gonna Do), Lorelei, I've Got A Crush On You, Summertime, Fascinatin' Rhythm, Maybe, Embraceable You

IMPRESSIONS: Sarah Vaughan is my favourite jazz vocalist hands down. The first time I really heard the Divine One and took notice was when I heard her sing "East of the Sun, West of the Moon" and it floored me; the voice was superb but then the vocal choices she made to convey the song were astounding to me. Every song she sang she made more interesting with her tasteful sonic invention. Ella Fitzgerald might have had a purer, exquisitely beautiful instrument but she lacked the emotion and invention of Sarah Vaughan. Both women (along with Billie Holiday and Dinah Washington) remain my "Mt. Rushmore of Vocalists" which someone needs to carve out of a mountain and quick! Here in this 2 cd set of Gershwin tunes, Sassy gives classic interpretations of even the most obscure and unknown songs such as the relaxed cowboy-tinged "Bidin' My Time" or the teasing coquettish "I Won't Say I Will". There's the high-kicking chorus line bombast of Sassy's "I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise", the mournful yearning of "My Man's Gone Now", the warm embrace of "I've Got A Crush On You", the soaring stature of "A Foggy Day" or probably the seminal version of "Summertime" from "Porgy and Bess".

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Embraceable You, They All Laughed, My Man's Gone Now, I Won't Say I Will, A Foggy Day, Let's Call the Whole Thing Off, They Can't Take That Away From Me, But Not For Me, Isn't It A Pity, I'll Build A Stairway To Paradise, Someone To Watch Over Me, Bidin' My Time, The Man I Love, Lorelei, I've Got A Crush On You, Summertime, Embraceable You

FACT SHEET: THE GEORGE GERSHWIN SONGBOOK is a 2-cd set which was based on the 1958 LP entitled SARAH VAUGHAN SINGS GEORGE GERSHWIN; here is has been expanded in 1990 to include other Gershwin songs.