Search - Sarah Vaughan :: Sarah and Clifford

Timeless Lullaby

Manny Hernandez | Bay Area, CA | 09/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Listening to this collaboration between Sarah Vaughan and Clifford Brown (among others) today makes you feel as if time stood still since it was originally recorded in 1954. Vaughan's voice is as crisp now as it will ever be and brings you a sense of what a truly timeless performance is and what art is all about. Packing classic after classic, you hear her perform jazz standards like it is the first time you've heard the songs, such as the case of "Lullaby of Birdland". Her wide ranging voice will simply never die and will continue to save a place for her in music history as one of the best singers ever."

Sassy and Brownie - what more can you ask for?

JoeyD | los gatos, ca | 04/06/2007

(5 out of 5 stars)

"What do you get when you team one of the most beautiful voices in the history of Jazz music (or any musical genre for that matter) with perhaps the greatest trumpet player in Jazz history - pure magic! I can throw out all the cliche's and hyperbole in the world trying sway the rest of you out there who don't own this yet to purchase it immediately. However, what am I going to say that will trump all of the critics (both pros and Amazon ams alike) who give this recording five stars w/out hesitating a second after they listen to it the first time?



When my first child was born just recently, I choose three CD's out of my collection of over a thousand to take with me to the hospital and this was one of the three. Believe it or not, everytime our baby boy has a crying fit, this is the only CD that will consistently get him to stop. So obviously it has a huge place in my heart.



I would give this two extra stars if I could."

Sassy At Her Intimate BEST (with Clifford Brown is Icing on

Peter | East of Los Angeles | 10/30/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If I had to pick a "Desert Island" CD of Sarah Vaughan (a.k.a. "Sassy"), I'd go to my remote island with this one. Sarah recorded countless LP's during her lifetime in a variety of settings, ranging from full-blown orchestras, syrupy strings, a jazz combo or trio, or even with just a piano by her side. This one features her with just a quintet of jazz players in the recording studio, and I think it's her BEST!



I always felt she performed at her best when she was in a quiet unobtrusive setting where there were only a few people around her as opposed to 40 or 50 people as in a big band or violin string situation. The producer Bob Shad is very smart to let each song flow unhurriedly in a mellow way. He knew with Sassy at full ease, she'd be able to take the song in a unique direction. Each song clocks in at least over 5 or 6 minutes long, which is almost unheard of in today's commercial "let's make a quick buck" mentality.



It's very clear everyone wanted to make a recording that captures the feel of a late-night jazz setting. Picture yourself in a smoke-filled darkened jazz room with your friends or love one beside you with a martini on the table, quietly enjoying Sarah and Her Friends. The imagery evoked by this CD recording is so strong that it literally takes you to one of those (now defunct) West Village nightclubs in New York (ah....those were the days!!)



The icing on the cake is having Clifford Brown, the famed trumpeter, on this recording with Sarah. Cliffy (as his friends called him) would die in a car crash only a few months after this recording, and all jazz critics consider his presence here with Sarah Vaughan as one of his lasting legacies.



The song selection here is SUPERB, each one an instant Classic and almost made definitive by Sarah Vaughan. Most tracks would be recorded by the likes of Sinatra, Ella, Bennett, Streisand, but I think it is Sarah's unhurried, mellow, smooth interpretation that remains definitive. If you don't believe me, just listen to "September Song" and "Embraceable You" by Sassy here, then listen to the same songs performed by the likes of Sinatra, Bennett, Streisand, etc. and you will come back to Sassy's version. It's THAT Good !! Her "Embraceable You" can never be topped.



Thanks to Verve Records for the beautiful remastering job. Details previously not heard are now heard in true form. You do hear the "hiss" on some tracks, but that's because the hiss was present on the master tape as well, plus the high level of treble to bring out the full details of the recording. Please do yourself a favor -- if you're a jazz fan or enjoy jazz singing and playing at its finest, please get this wonderful CD."