William N. Law Blog: Sarah Vaughan at Rosy's: 1978

Wednesday, March 30, 2016

Sarah Vaughan at Rosy's: 1978

Online today at WSJ.com, I review Sarah Vaughan: Live at Rosy's, a two-CD set of newly discovered material unearthed by producer Zev Feldman for Resonance Records (go here). The recording features Vaughan at her '70s best—in command, inventive and happy to take chances. The album captures Vaughan during a particularly busy touring year and 13 days before her marriage to trumpeter Waymon Reed.

Here are my first three paragraphs:

Sarah Vaughan didn’t sing songs so much as curl up with them. Often mistaken for a jazz and pop vocalist, Vaughan was neither in the traditional sense. Rather, she was an entity unto herself, a matchless interpreter of standards who seemingly had little interest in the stories related by the lyrics. For Vaughan, words were a formality—things she had to sing as she sculpted melodies into undulating vocal expressions.

The year 1978 was a busy one for Vaughan. The singer, who turned 54 and was beginning the autumn of her career, recorded two studio albums that year and was on the road constantly, performing at clubs, concert halls and festivals in the U.S. and Europe. During this period, her operatic powers grew more muscular, with an ever-widening octave range and a timbre that was increasingly warm and enveloping.

Vaughan’s late-’70s vocal gifts are fully exposed on “Sarah Vaughan: Live at Rosy’s” (Resonance), a newly released two-CD set. Recorded on May 31, 1978, at a New Orleans jazz club, the album features previously unreleased material as well as tracks heard only once during a live radio broadcast.

Here are a couple of other paragraphs:

The new album is notable for its sterling sound and unexpected surprises. There’s a “Fever”-paced “East of the Sun (and West of the Moon)” with just Vaughan and bassist Booker. There’s also a “Fascinating Rhythm” that sounds as if Vaughan is jumping Double Dutch with the musicians swinging the ropes. But the album’s high point is “Time After Time,” when Vaughan’s voice sweeps down at the end and then climbs the final chord’s notes to falsetto heights.

Among the album’s other highlights are contemporary songs of the 1960s and ’70s, including Michel Legrand’s “Watch What Happens,” Marcos Valle’s “If You Went Away,” Benard Ighner’s “Everything Must Change,” and “A Lot of Livin’ to Do” from “Bye, Bye Birdie.” All gave Vaughan an updated feel in 1978.

JazzWax tracks: You'll find Sarah Vaughan: Live at Rosy's (Resonance) here.