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Sarah Vaughan | Essential albums and listening guide
Explore Sarah Vaughan through Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown. Discover what to listen for and follow related styles to your next record.
Sarah Vaughan
Meet the artist
A singer known by the nickname “Sassy”. She possessed an operatic voice and a bebop-style improvisational ability, thereby elevating the standard of jazz vocals. A rich range lets her stretch and reshape a melody's expression.
She conveys lyrics while responding to harmony like an improvising instrumentalist. Her voice stands out alongside horns, and small groups reveal close exchanges with piano and bass. Soft passages and delayed entrances matter as much as vocal power. Familiar standards become new stories, showing how thoroughly a singer can transform a song.
Where to start listening
Listen beyond the lyrics to the changes of vocal color within a phrase. Phrase endings and replies to the accompaniment reveal the voice's freedom.
1954Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown
Sarah Vaughan / Clifford Brown
It was a masterpiece, featuring Sarah Vaughan’s expressive singing and the collaboration of the young and talented trumpeter, Clifford Brown. It is considered a masterpiece in vocal jazz music.
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1957Swingin' Easy
Sarah Vaughan
Sarah Vaughan’s lively swing music, accompanied by a piano trio. In an unadorned instrumentation, she showcases her outstanding singing skills and remarkable mastery of scats.
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Years follow the Atlas catalogue. Recording dates, original release dates and digital reissue dates may differ.