SNOWBOUND  -  SARAH VAUGHAN

YEAR:  1963
LABEL:  Roulette
TRACK LISTING:  Snowbound, I Hadn't Anyone 'Til You,  What's Good About Goodbye?,  Stella By Starlight,  Look To Your Heart,  Oh You Crazy Moon,  Blah Blah Blah,  I Remember You,  I Fall In Love Too Easily,  Glad To Be Unhappy,  Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
IMPRESSIONS:  I first heard several of these songs on a packed cd called SARAH VAUGHAN:  THE ROULETTE YEARS (an extremely worthy compilation though probably out of print since I bought it circa 1990).  However, it wasn't until I heard the title track on one of those Christmas jazz compilation cds about a decade ago that I began actively searching for this album.  Naturally, the album was not available on cd and, for the most part, it's still not available . . . although it is.  Basically, if you search for it you'll find it on a (basically also out-of-print) "Two-On-One" cd pairing it with the equally delectable album "THE LONELY HOURS"; quite a natural and perfect pairing.  As the original liner notes for the vinyl LP aptly state:  "The wind blows cold outside, the night is clear and the moonlight plays tricks on the pure, white surface of the deep driven snow.  It's a night for the warmth of a fireplace and the warmth of love.  A night for flickering shadows and dreamy thoughts.  A night that finds you . . . snowbound."  There is very much that kind of feel about this album; look at the wonderful album cover art and you'll know immediately what the album sounds like.  Kicking off with the perfect album opener, the title track "Snowbound" conjures an almost visceral feeling of piling snowdrifts as one peers out a wintery window with the firelight flickering in the background and the cool, blue light cascading in through said windowpane.  You can almost hear that peculiar enveloping sound of a heavy snowfall which affects sounds like a warm blanket.  If that makes any sense.  If  you've ever noticed, there's a stillness which accompanies falling snow and the title track effortlessly conjures that up as one can almost see the snowflakes settling.  That's quite a lot to say about just one song on the album but the rest of the programme is no less evocative.  From the hit song featured in the classic 40's ghost film "THE UNINVITED" ("Stella By Starlight") to the relatively unknown Gershwin brothers tune ("Blah, Blah, Blah") and from Sassy's masterful rendering of the classic "I Remember You" even to the welcome inclusion of a moon song ("Oh, You Crazy Moon"); this is one my favourite Sarah Vaughan albums as well one of the most thematically satisfying.  As the original liner notes continue:  "When you're snowbound, there's not much you can do.  You can feel the warmth of that fireplace, cuddle close to that certain someone and . . . be touched by the voice of Sarah Vaughan."
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Snowbound,  I Hadn't Anyone 'Til You,  Stella By Starlight,  Oh You Crazy Moon,  Blah Blah Blah,  I Remember You,  I Fall In Love Too Easily,  Glad To Be Unhappy,  Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most
BONUS TRACKS:  On the cd I managed to track down, the album is paired with the similar Roulette release "THE LONELY HOURS" which I will no doubt post here one day.
FACT SHEET:  SNOWBOUND is (likely) Sarah Vaughan's 24th album.  It is arranged and conducted by Don Costa.  The album emerged from the Divine One's short but productive few years with the Roulette label.  Allmusic.com's John Bush rightly calls the album "an overlooked gem from Sarah Vaughan's Roulette years" and it is indeed puzzling why this album is so difficult to come by and isn't readily available.  The album is generally given high marks and Bush continues with the observation:  "Despite the peaceful atmosphere and strolling tempo, Vaughan hardly treats the material as a cinch for her voice; all of these 11 songs find her searching for different ways to present timeworn standards. The opening title track is one of the warmest, most romantic songs on the LP, Vaughan plumbing the depths of her alto and nearly perfecting her humming vibrato."

THE DIVINE ONE  -  SARAH VAUGHAN

YEAR:  1961
LABEL:  Roulette
TRACK LISTING:  Have You Met Miss Jones?,  Ain't No Use,  Every Time I See You,  You Stepped Out of a Dream,  Gloomy Sunday,  What Do You See In Her?,  Jump For Joy,  When Your Lover Has Gone,  I'm Gonna Laugh You Out of My Life,  Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams,  Somebody Else's Dream,  Trouble Is A Man
IMPRESSIONS:  More Sassy so soon?  You can never have too much Sarah Vaughan.  This is an intimate sounding album with Sassy backed by a small trio of piano, trumpet and drums only and beautifully represents the pared-down sound she established once she moved to the Roulette label.  This is only the second album she made during that brief but important portion of her career; her first Roulette album "DREAMY" sadly remains unissued on cd as is the case with the criminally un-reissued "SNOWBOUND" album!  I first encountered some of these tracks on a 1991 compilation cd called "SARAH VAUGHAN THE ROULETTE YEARS VOLUMES ONE & TWO" which cherry-picked songs from her three-year stint at the label.  The floating head on the album cover gives a sense of the quieter aspect of Sarah's Roulette work as the listener imagines the singer with her small trio ensconced in the solitude of the recording studio laying down track after track of superb jazz standards; although many of the selections here are lesser-known songs -- even those by such well-known songwriters as Rodgers & Hart, Nacio Herb Brown & Gus Kahn, Hal David or Duke Ellington.  This is an album perfect for anytime:  late-night quietude or sunny afternoon spring-cleaning listening!  Although I must admit I can never hear "Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams" without immediately thinking of the famous Bing Crosby blooper!
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  Have You Met Miss Jones?,  Ain't No Use,  You Stepped Out of a Dream,  Gloomy Sunday,  Jump For Joy,  I'm Gonna Laugh You Out of My Life,  Wrap Your Troubles In Dreams,  Somebody Else's Dream,  Trouble Is A Man
FACT SHEET:  THE DIVINE ONE is Sarah Vaughan's 16th album (more or less, it's difficult to gauge these things) and her second album for the Roulette label.  Sarah is accompanied by the trio of Jimmy Jones (piano, arranger), Harry "Sweets" Edison (trumpet) and Don Lamond (drums).   

AT MISTER KELLY'S  --  SARAH VAUGHAN

YEAR:  1957
LABEL:  EmArcy
TRACK LISTING:  September in the Rain,  Willow Weep For Me,  Just One of Those Things, Be Anything (But Be Mine),  Thou Swell,  Stairway To the Stars,  Honeysuckle Rose,  Just A Gigolo,  How High the Moon,  Dream,  I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,  It's Got To Be Love,  Alone,  If This Isn't Love,  Embraceable You,  Lucky In Love,  Dancing in the Dark,  Poor Butterfly,  Sometimes I'm Happy,  I Cover the Waterfront
IMPRESSIONS:  Sarah Vaughan's first live album is an easy and swinging affair with the Divine One bantering easily with the audience.  The cd release has, of course, given us much more of the original performances including one or two lyrical flubs by Sassy (despite using lyrics sheets as stated by the emcee at the beginning of the concert).  This album was fairly early in the live LP stakes but it still sounds fresh and modern without any sense of archaic production.  As I've said, Sassy swings the up-tempo songs and sounds really on point vocally in the ballads as well; she sounds really involved in the performance.  She expertly lays back in the tempo of such songs as Fats Waller's "I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter" or Johnny Mercer's "Dream" with a confidence and assuredness of masterly control that is astonishing.  John Bush of Allmusic states it rather better:  "her unerring sense of rhythm carries her through every song on this set, whether the occasion calls for playfulness and wit ("Thou Swell," "Honeysuckle Rose") or a world-wise melancholia ("Willow Weep for Me")" and that the album captures her at her "best and most relaxed".  There are also some nice surprises on display i.e. her slowed-down version of the usually frenetic "Just a Gigolo" or her playful imitation of Ella Fitzgerald's scat singing on "How High the Moon". 
MY FAVOURITE TRACKS:  September in the Rain,  Willow Weep For Me,  Thou Swell,  Stairway to the Stars,  Honeysuckle Rose,  Just a Gigolo,  How High the Moon,  Dream,  I'm Gonna Sit Right Down and Write Myself a Letter,  It's Got To Be Love,  Embraceable You,  Poor Butterfly,  I Cover the Waterfront
FACT SHEET:  AT MISTER KELLY'S is Sarah Vaughan's first live album; it was recorded between August 6 - 8, 1957 at Mister Kelly's Club in Chicago.  Sarah Vaughan's trio includes Jimmy Jones (piano), Richard Davis (double bass) and Roy Haynes (drums). 

STORMS - Various Artists

YEAR: 2003

LABEL: Cerpts Productions

TRACK LISTING: Storms - Fleetwood Mac, Knowing Me Knowing You - ABBA, Every Little Thing About You - Raul Malo, Lovesong - The Cure, Winter Kills - Alison Moyet, Blue - Sarah McLachlan, If I Could Reach You - The 5th Dimension, Back To Then - Darius Rucker, Blue - Barry Manilow & Sarah Vaughan, Don't Take Your Love From Me - Frank Sinatra, Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips, No More Drama - Mary J. Blige, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Elton John, If I Could Only Stay Asleep - Patsy Cline, Ghost In This House - Allison Krauss, Trouble - Cat Stevens, Black - Pearl Jam, Who Am I Foolin' - Cheryl Wheeler, Two Star - Everything But the Girl

IMPRESSIONS: It was never my intention to put up a cd mix I made myself however there's no other I would consider before this one. The only cd mix I've made which has a fan base; everyone who has heard it declared it a classic. So who am I to argue with them? I would certainly say this is the one cd mix I consider a perfect jewel. Made on the 7th of January 2003, this cd was the result of a breakup and a broken heart ripped out of my chest and trodden on with golf shoes. Not only was the year 2002 a tough one for myself but for others I knew and this cd resonated strongly with all of us. Not only does it contain my number one favourite song of all time (Pearl Jam's "Black") but it also contains my number TWO favourite song (Mary J. Blige's "No More Drama"); both songs won Song of the Year Penguin Awards in their respective years. It features the song which had the most ever plays on my first ipod "City Lights" (Everything But the Girl's "Two Star" which had racked up 18 plays before I got my new ipod "Podzilla"). The cd also features the second saddest song ever recorded: The 5th Dimension's "If I Could Reach You" (the number one saddest song ever recorded, in case you're interested, is Stan Rogers' "First Christmas"). I am still extremely proud of the mood I managed to sustain on this cd and consider it my finest programming job.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Storms - Fleetwood Mac, Lovesong - The Cure, Winter Kills - Alison Moyet, Blue - Sarah McLachlan, If I Could Reach You - The 5th Dimension, Blue - Barry Manilow & Sarah Vaughan, Don't Take Your Love From Me - Frank Sinatra, Neither One of Us (Wants To Be the First To Say Goodbye) - Gladys Knight & the Pips, No More Drama - Mary J. Blige, This Train Don't Stop There Anymore - Elton John, Ghost In This House - Alison Krauss, Trouble - Cat Stevens, Black - Pearl Jam, Who Am I Foolin' - Cheryl Wheeler, Two Star - Everything But the Girl

FACT SHEET: STORMS is a Cerpts CD Mix which was compiled on January 7, 2003. The cover art is by Edward Gorey.

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.

2:00 AM PARADISE CAFE - Barry Manilow

YEAR: 1984

LABEL: Arista

TRACK LISTING: Paradise Cafe, Where Have You Gone?, Say No More, Blue, When October Goes, What Am I Doin' Here, Goodbye My Love, Big City Blues, When Love Is Gone, I've Never Been So Low On Love, Night Song, Paradise Cafe (Reprise)

IMPRESSIONS: Barr has said that the concept for the album came to him in a dream and its the album for which he'd most like to be remembered. Critically acclaimed at the time like no other album in his career, PARADISE CAFE has the feel of a late night bar filled with cigarette smoke with Frank Sinatra requesting the barman to "Set 'em up, Joe". This album first came to my attention through my good friend Paulster who played the tape during one of our million late night road trips. It was the dead of winter (the album came out in November 1984) and I remember loving it the first time I heard it. The process of recording each album side live in the studio in one single take with all the songs melding together was a brave one (one false note and they'd all have to start over at the beginning of song one again) and fits perfectly the style and mood of the piece. This is definitely a late night album (in the spirit of Sinatra's "IN THE WEE SMALL HOURS" or "FRANK SINATRA SINGS FOR ONLY THE LONELY" which was the perfect accompaniment for a late night drive on an icy winter's road trip.

MY FAVOURITE TRACKS: Paradise Cafe, Where Have You Gone?, Say No More, Blue, When October Goes, What Am I Doin' Here

GUEST ARTISTS: Sarah Vaughan (vocals on "Blue"), Mel Torme (vocals on "Big City Blues"), Gerry Mulligan (baritone saxophone), Bill Mays (piano, Fender Rhodes), Mundell Lowe (acoustic guitar, electric guitar), George Duvivier (double bass), Shelly Manne (drums, percussion).

FACT SHEET: 2:00 AM PARADISE CAFE is Barry Manilow's 14th album. The spark which brought the project to life was when the widow of Johnny Mercer gave Manilow a stack of the legendary songwriter's lyrics which had never been set to music (as per the late lyricist's wishes) so they could be turned into songs. While Manilow would set many of the lyrics to music (including the exquisite "Just Remember"), the only Mercer song appearing on this album is "When October Goes"; something of a modern standard which has also been recorded by Rosemary Clooney, Diane Schuur and Nancy Wilson. PARADISE CAFE was rehearsed for three days and then recorded live in the studio in one take with no overdubs. The album was a major departure from Manilow's patented easy listening pop and, though it never went very high on the charts, paradoxically went platinum. The album was arranged and produced by Barry Manilow.