track 1. SHULIE A BOP:
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
track 1. SHULIE A BOP:
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
track 1. SHULIE A BOP:
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
track 1. SHULIE A BOP:
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
vocals - SARAH VAUGHAN
in New York
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Swingin' Easy
Sarah Vaughan and Her Trio
EmArcy - Mercury
vocals - Sarah Vaughan
piano - John Malachi - Jimmy Jones bass - Joe Benjamin - Richard Davis drums - Roy Haynes
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| Benjamin V. Franklin's Original 1957 Liner Notes... |
_____"...they liked the show fine..." she told us "...and they really dug the trio that accompanied me. But they just couldn't understand what happened every time they requested a certain song. The heard the same singer doing the same tune they'd heard on the record, buy why did it sound so different? It never occurred to them that on the record I had a seventeen-piece band and in the club I was working with just piano, bass and a drum!...". _____It's true that the personality of a singer somehow seems to undergo a subtle change in accordance with the musical setting. This does not mean that one background is necessarily superior to the other; _____On "I Cried For You", "All Of Me", "Words Can't Describe" and "Pennies From Heaven", Sarah Vaughan is accompanied by Jimmy Jones, piano (bio); Roy Haynes, drums (bio); and Richard Davis, bass (bio). Jimmy Jones, a native Chicagoan who first attracted attention in The Stuff Smith Trio and later with J.C. Heard's band, originally joined Sarah Vaughan in 1947 and toured with her for several years but was forced into retirement by a long and serious illness. It is a pleasure to be able to report that both his health and playing are now better than ever and he is serving Sarah Vaughan as possibly the most sympathetic accompanist ever to join forces with a top singer. Roy Haynes, a native of Roxbury, Massachusetts, worked with Miles Davis, Charlie Parker and other combos before joining Sarah Vaughan in 1953. Richard Davis, another native Chicagoan, is a highly schooled musician who worked with several symphony orchestras and was with the Don Shirley duo before joining Sarah Vaughan. _____On the other titles, the accompanying artists are John Malachi (bio) who is best remembered as a member of the great Billy Eckstine band of 1944-1945 in which Sarah Vaughan served as the girl vocalist. Joe Benjamin (bio), born in Atlantic City, has played with everyone from Fletcher Henderson to Duke Ellington and most recently has been a member of the Gerry Mulligan quartet. _____"SHULIE A BOP", which starts the proceedings, is a minor key affair that enables Sarah Vaughan to introduce these three sidemen individually. John Malachi, Joe Benjamin and _____"LOVER MAN", originally recorded by Sarah Vaughan as vocalist with the Gillespie-Parker group in 1945, is tenderly treated here with that wonderful felling for subtle melodic variations that is so essentially a part of Sarah Vaughan's magic personality. "I CRIED FOR YOU", written by Gus Arnheim, Abe Lymon and Arthur Freed in 1923, goes for a wild joy ride in Sarah Vaughan's two ecstatic choruses. In immediate contrast "POLKA DOTS AND MOONBEAMS" earns a respectful ballad treatment. _____"ALL OF ME" has three choruses, the second of which Sarah Vaughan bops in an extraordinary manner, covering more than two octaves and demonstrating that her unusual range enables her, perhaps more than any other singer, to justify the claim that she uses her voice as an instrument. "WORDS CAN'T DESCRIBE", which closes the first side, is a tune that was discovered by Sarah Vaughan personally, Jimmy Jones has a short and very pretty interlude on this one. _____"PRELUDE TO A KISS" is a graceful revival of the Duke Ellington hit of 1938. "YOU HIT THE SPOT" was one of the products of a well-known songwritting team of the 1930's, Mack Gordon and Harry Ravel; it was first published in 1935. Sarah Vaughan takes advantage of the verse on this one before going into tempo for a swinging chorus. Notice the cute drum and bass gimmicks on the end. _____"PENNIES FROM HEAVEN", from the 1936 movie of the same name, is taken slower than you might expect, with rhythmic suspension each time Sarah Vaughan reaches the title and a brand new melody is created by her during the second chorus. _____"IF IF KNEW THEN" was a popular song of 1939 written by bandleader Dick Jurgens and Eddy Howard, who was then his vocalist. Once again Sarah Vaughan lets herself go on the second chorus with some free wheeling bop improvisations. _____"BODY AND SOUL" has a special significance in the Vaughan career, since it was one of the numbers she featured in the show at the Apollo Theatre in New York City, April 29, 1943, the date of Sarah Vaughan's personal debut as singer and second pianist with the Earl Hines band. _____"THEY CAN'T TAKE THAT AWAY FROM ME" is a gently moving treatment of the George Gershwin standard with a cute introduction in which Sarah Vaughan murmurs, "...ah, take me home once more!..". _____Sarah Vaughan is at her best in this album. This is almost a platitude, for it is hard to imagine Sarah Vaughan at anything less than her best on any record, but the presence of a small intrumental setting, of the kind that can provide such a perfect background for any vocalist, makes her best seem just a little better than ever.
_____Many if not most popular and jazz singers, including some with the greatest voices, prefer to present their music in the context of big bands or orchestras, as Sarah Vaughan often did. Vocalists generally face their most substantial challenges, though, and sometimes perform at their highest level, not in the company of large groups but rather with small ones, where vocal shortcomings will be noticed immediately, where one cannot hide. Until relatively late in her career, only occasionally did Sarah Vaughan elect to present herself in such a context at recording sessions, and such reticence is lamentable. Despite her often glorious success singing with large groups, her outings with only a rhythm section never fail to please. The music from two such recording sessions - both with trios is contained on this CD. _____Before the first of these sessions (in 1954), Sarah Vaughan had recorded only once with a small group, a quartet (piano, guitar, bass, drums), and that was in 1947 for the Musicraft® company. It was therefore long past time for her to return to a similar setting, as the results prove. With a wonderful combination of masterful vocalist, strong supporting musicians, and a varied program, how could such a session fail to succeed, especially when the support is by a working trio? Pianist John Malachi, who never received the recognition he deserved, was a superlative accompanist perhaps best known as a member of Billy Eckstine's bop band of the mid-Forties. Here he supports Sarah Vaughan beautifully, as does bassist Joe Benjamin, even then a veteran of touring bands. _____Of the four musicians, including Sarah Vaughan, only drummer Roy Haynes survives. He is, simply, one of the major percussionists in modern jazz, having recorded with such diverse instrumentalists as Charlie Parker, Gary Burton, and Roland Kirk. To him belongs no little credit for the success of what is in all likelihood Stan Getz's most rewarding album, "Focus" (from 1961, now available on Verve® CD 821 982-2). _____Not unexpectedly, Sarah Vaughan and the trio interact flawlessly, with John Malachi, Joe Benjamin, and Roy Haynes serving primarily to support her, not to display their individual talents, Each solos briefly on "Shulie a Bop" (a composition by Sarah Vaughan and George Treadwell), with the singer introducing each in turn. This is the loosest of the performances, with Sarah Vaughan scatting throughout, except for her brief interpolation of "I Ain't Mad at You, Pretty Baby". On "You Hit the Spot", _____In some ways, though, the highlights of this session are two ballads. Although the first, "Lover Man", will forever be associated with Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan's approach is her own, so much so that comparisons of the two singers' interpretations are not invited. With the tempo way down, she bends notes, sustains a particular low note, and offers what amounts to a classic rendering of this standard. Billie Holiday also recorded "Body and Soul", the second of Sarah Vaughan's wonderful ballads at the 1954 session; but since Coleman Hawkins's 1939 recording of it, all musicians have considered this tune their own testing ground, turning out numerous splendid renditions. Few are more masterful than Sarah Vaughan's, however. Once again the tempo is slow; once more Sarah Vaughan bends notes, most notably on the last word of the piece. These two performances illustrate the obvious: Sarah Vaughan was among the most sublime ballad singers. _____Despite continuing to record regularly, her next session with a trio wasn't until 1957. Roy Haynes was the only returning instrumentalist for this record date. _____On "I Cried for You", Sarah Vaughan demonstrates that one need not take great liberty with a melody or lyrics in order to interpret a composition creatively. Here she sings the first chorus fairly straight and the second with embellishments, with the two constituting a unified whole. She performs at a similar level on "All of Me" and "Pennies from Heaven". _____The caliber of Sarah Vaughan's work with trios is of such generally high quality that one can only wish she had favored such a context, which permitted her to convey intimacy and demonstrate flexibility. We should nevertheless be grateful for the relatively few trio recordings she made, including the two on this CD. |
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Sarah Vaughan: a bio...
 and wide expressive abilities, she could do anything she wanted with her voice. Although not all of her many recordings are essential (give Sarah Vaughan a weak song and she might strangle it to death), Sarah Vaughan's legacy as a performer and a recording artist will be very difficult to match in the future._____Sarah Vaughan sang in church as a child and had extensive piano lessons from 1931-39; she developed into a capable keyboardist. After she won an amateur contest at the Apollo Theatre, she was hired for the Earl Hines big band as a singer and second vocalist. Unfortunately, the musicians' recording strike kept her off record during this period (1943-44). When lifelong friend Billy Eckstine broke away to form his own orchestra, Sarah Vaughan joined him, making her recording debut. She loved being with Billy Eckstine's orchestra, where she became influenced by a couple of his sidemen, Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie, both of whom had also been with Earl Hines during her stint. Sarah Vaughan was one of the first singers to fully incorporate bop phrasing in her singing, and to have the vocal chops to pull it off on the level of a Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. _____Other than a few months with John Kirby from 1945-46, Sarah Vaughan spent the remainder of her career as a solo star. Although she looked a bit awkward in 1945 (her first husband George Treadwell would greatly assist her with her appearance), there was no denying her incredible voice. She made several early sessions for Continental®: a Dec. 31, 1944 date highlighted by her vocal version of "A Night In Tunisia", which was called "Interlude", and a May 25, 1945 session for that label that had Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker as sidemen. _____ Although some of those sessions were quite commercial, eight classic selections cut with Jimmy Jones' band during May 18-19, 1950 (an octet including Miles Davis) showed that she could sing jazz with the best. _____During the 1950s, Sarah Vaughan recorded middle-of-the-road pop material with orchestras for Mercury®, and jazz dates (including a memorable collaboration with Clifford Brown) for the label's subsidiary, EmArcy®. Later record label associations included Roulette® (1960-64), back with Mercury® (1963-67), and after a surprising four years off records, Mainstream® (1971-74). Through the years, Sarah Vaughan's voice deepened a bit, but never lost its power, flexibility or range. She was a masterful scat singer and was able to outswing nearly everyone (except for Ella Fitzgerald). Sarah Vaughan was with Norman Granz's Pablo® label from 1977-82, and only during her last few years did her recording career falter a bit, with only two forgettable efforts after 1982. However, up until near the end, Sarah Vaughan remained a world traveler, singing and partying to all hours of the night with her miraculous voice staying in prime form. The majority of her recordings are currently available, including complete sets of the Mercury/Emarcy® years, and Sarah Vaughan is as famous today as she was during her most active years. (...from Scott Yanow ...) | |
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John Malachi: a bio... _____John Malachi was born on September 6th, 1919 in Red Springs, North Carolina; he passed away on February 11th, 1987 in Washington, DC. A tasteful pianist, he spent most of his career accompanying top jazz-oriented singers. A self-taught pianist, John Malachi's first important musical job was with Trummy Young from 1943-44._____He was a member of the classic Billy Eckstine Bebop Orchestra from 1944 to 1945, contributing both piano solos and advanced arrangements. John Malachi was back with Billy Eckstine in 1947, toured with Illinois Jacquet in 1948 and then worked with Pearl Bailey in 1950, Dinah Washington in 1951, Louis Jordan in 1951, Sarah Vaughan from 1952 to 1954, Al Hibbler from 1955 to 1958 and Joe Williams. John Malachi's later years were spent freelancing in Washington DC. | |
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Jimmy Jones: a bio...
 After working with J.C. Heard (from 1946 to 1947), he was Sarah Vaughan's pianist (from 1947 to 1952 and then again, after a two year illness he returned from 1954 to 1958)._____Jimmy Jones recorded often throughout the 1950s, including "How Hi the Fi" (1954) with Buck Clayton. He worked with Duke Ellington on the 1963 show My People, accompanied Ella Fitzgerald (from 1967 to 1968), and wrote for the studios. _____In addition to obscure dates as a leader for Session®, HRS®, Wax®, Swing®, and GNP®, and sessions with Stuff Smith, J.C. Heard, Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, Jimmy Jones appeared as a sideman on recordings led by many swing all-stars, including Don Byas, Coleman Hawkins, Ben Webster, Johnny Hodges, Clark Terry, and Paul Gonsalves. (..Scott Yanow..) | |
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Joe Benjamin: a bio...
_____Although he is best known as the kind of intelligent but not showy rhythm section partners that bandleader Duke Ellington was on prowl for throughout his career, Joe Benjamin was also not strictly a conservative jazzman. _____Born Joseph Rupert Benjamin, the bassist worked in the big bands of Artie Shaw, Fletcher Henderson and Sy Oliver, but was best known as an essential part of various small combo rhythm section. His wide dynamics allowed him to back up both rowdy horn soloists and subtle vocalists. While working with Louis Armstrong, with whom he recorded prolifically, Joe Benjamin became the butt of a joke when pianist Marian McPartland, working her way toward sitting in with the band, remarked to Satchmo: "...Oh, I've never played with Joe Benjamin before...". When Louis Armstrong managed to make something suggestive out of that, he had the whole band dying of laughing. _____Those that did play with Joe Benjamin included the absolute cream of the crop in jazz. With The Ellington Band, Joe Benjamin's drum partners included the fine Rocky White and the funky Rufus Jones. Duke Ellington always had terrific bassists including players such as Wellman Braud, Jimmy Blanton and John Lamb. As a composer he liked to give the low instrument extended featured spots, and these parts of the Joe Benjamin discography are well worth checking out. There are blues numbers on both the "Togo Brava" and "New Orleans Suite" albums that provide plenty of space for the bassist to get tasty; a bassist in cyberspace listing great performances raves that Joe Benjamin "...is not flashy, in a totally supportive role just playing the walking line. But does he ever get in the pocket! ...". The "Togo Brava" sections featuring drums and bass together have been pilfered heavily by acid jazz and drums 'n' bass DJs. There are plenty of classic small combo line ups that feature Joe Benjamin. One of course is The Brubeck Quartet with Paul Desmond on alto saxophone and Joe Morello, drums. _____In the 1950s Sarah Vaughan used Joe Benjamin, drummer Roy Haynes and pianist John Malachi to record classics such as "Shulie A Bop" and "I Cried For You". The relationship with Roy Haynes continued, the snappy drummer using Joe Benjamin as bassist in some of his own combos, a decision that certainly speaks highly of the drummer's opinion of Joe Benjamin's timekeeping. Another great record is the early "Kirk's Work" by Rahsaan Roland Kirk, featuring Joe Benjamin in a group with organist Brother Jack McDuff and the brilliant drummer Art Taylor. Joe Benjamin died in the early 1970's, still based out of New Jersey. Much of his life had been spent on the road, and the best way to describe much of that was to list some of the great groups he was in. Which is probably the way he would have wanted it. (...Eugene Chadbourne...) | |
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Richard Davis: a bio
 responding to soloists, or playing unison passages. He combines upper register notes with low sounds coaxed through the use of open strings. Richard Davis studied privately nearly 10 years in the 1940s and 1950s, while also playing with Chicago orchestras._____He played with Ahmad Jamal, Charlie Ventura, and Don Shirley in the early and mid-1950s, then worked with Sarah Vaughan in the late 1950s and early 1960s, as well as Kenny Burrell. Richard Davis divided his duties in the 1960s between recording and performing sessions with jazz musicians and freelance work with symphony orchestras conducted by Leonard Bernstein and Igor Stravinsky. He recorded often with Eric Dolphy, including the unforgettable dates at The Five Spot. He also worked with Booker Ervin, Andrew Hill, Ben Webster, Stan Getz, Earl Hines, and The Creative Construction Company. Richard Davis teamed with Jaki Byard and Alan Dawson on sessions with Booker Ervin, and others like Rahsaan Roland Kirk. He also played with Van Morrison. _____During the 1970s Richard Davis worked with Hank Jones and Billy Cobham, and he was a member of The Thad Jones - Mel Lewis Orchestra in the 1960s and 1970s. Richard Davis left New York in 1977 to teach at the University of Wisconsin in Madison, where he remained into the mid-1980s. He appeared at the Aurex Jazz Festival in Tokyo in 1982, playing in a jam session led by trombonists J.J. Johnson and Kai Winding, and at the 1984 Chicago Jazz Festival. Richard Davis was featured in the 1982 film "Jazz In Exile". He's done relatively few recordings as a leader, though three Muse® sessions are now available on CD. The superb "The Philosophy Of The Spiritual" which matched Richard Davis and fellow bassist Bill Lee is not in print or on CD at this writing. (..Ron Wynn..) | |
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Roy Haynes: a bio...
 After some engagements with Kai Winding, Roy Haynes was a member of the Charlie Parker quintet (from 1949 to 1952); he also recorded during this era with Bud Powell, Wardell Gray, and Stan Getz. Roy Haynes toured the world with Sarah Vaughan (from 1953 to 1958); played with Thelonious Monk in 1958; led his own group; and gigged with George Shearing, Lennie Tristano, Eric Dolphy, and Stan Getz (in 1961). He was Elvin Jones' occasional substitute with John Coltrane's classic quartet during 1961-1965, toured with Stan Getz (from 1965 to 1967), and was with Gary Burton (in 1967 and 1968)._____In addition to touring with Chick Corea (in 1981 and in 1984) and Pat Metheny (1989-1990), Roy Haynes has led his own Hip Ensemble on and off during the past several decades. When one considers that he has also gigged with Miles Davis, Art Pepper, Horace Tapscott, and Dizzy Gillespie, it is fair to say that Roy Haynes has played with about everyone. He led dates for EmArcy® and Swing® (both in 1954), New Jazz® (in 1958 and in 1960), Impulse® (in a 1962 quartet album with Roland Kirk), Pacific Jazz®, Mainstream®, Galaxy®, Dreyfus®, Evidence®, and Storyville®. In 1994, Roy Haynes was awarded the Danish Jazzpar prize. In the late 1990s, Roy Haynes formed a trio with pianist Danilo Perez and bassist John Pattitucci, and they released their debut album, "The Roy Haynes Trio Featuring Danilo Perez & John Pattitucci", in early 2000 on Verve®. Roy Haynes' son Graham Haynes is an excellent cornetist. (..Scott Yanow..) | |
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OnLinerNotes - JAZZ Windsor - Canada XIX JUNIO MMIII 
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Jimmy Jones, who replaced John Malachi, would be Sarah Vaughan's regular accompanist for many years as would the classically trained Richard Davis, who replaced Joe Benjamin. At this session the four recorded three sprightly tunes but only one ballad, the obscure "Words Can't Describe".
