Sarah “Sassy” Vaughan and her trio booked a run at Rosy’s Jazz Club in New Orleans in May 1978. The renowned producer Tim Owens recorded two sets of that run for National Public Radio’s weekly syndicated program Jazz Alive! and broadcast highlights from them on the show that year. Now for the first time we can listen to nearly the entire performance on this stellar two-CD set from Resonance.
One of the most gifted of all jazz singers, Vaughan didn’t have the purity of tone of Ella Fitzgerald, but she had an incredible range, a player’s understanding of rhythm from her younger years playing piano, and an instinctive sense of harmony that enabled her to use her voice like a horn on complex bop pieces. Frequently teamed with big bands and even orchestras on record, when she toured she preferred a simple trio accompaniment. For this date that trio was one that had played extensively with her around the world, pianist Carl Schroeder, bassist Walter Booker and legendary drummer Jimmy Cobb.
Just turned 54 when these recordings were made, Vaughan is confident, vulnerable, tender and swinging by turns. It is a remarkable performance, one that has made a believer out of me. Following a brief introduction she charges out of the gate with an up-tempo take on a song normally done as a ballad, “I’ll Remember April,” complete with a chorus or two of lively scatting. The program is about two-thirds romantic ballads and one-third zippy numbers. I have to confess I prefer the latter, particularly Vaughan’s playful takes on the likes of “A Lot Of Livin’ To Do,” “Somebody Loves Me,” “The Man I Love” and “I Could Write A Book.” I love the way she swings “Like Someone In Love,” and she and the trio have a ball with the Gershwin chestnut “Fascinating Rhythm.” Her signature “Sarah’s Blues,” with which she closes the first set, is a tour-de-force of her scatting prowess. She and Booker play “East Of The Sun (And West Of The Moon)” as a duet, and just slay on this swinging standard, which she first recorded in 1949!
But her ballad work is equally impressive. She gives the slow treatment to “I Got It Bad (And That Ain’t Good),” and knocks “My Funny Valentine” out of the park. But what she does with Sondheim’s “Send In The Clowns” and then turns around and scats her way through “Sarah’s Blues” after that is truly amazing.
As usual with the reissues and recordings from the vault that Zev Feldman has been producing for Resonance lately, this one comes with a thick booklet chockful of essays and interviews that throw further light on the music. The 36 pages include informative essays by music writer and biographer James Gavin and critic Will Friedwald, plus one by club owner Rosalie Wilson, reminiscences from Carl Schroeder and an interview with Cobb plus Tom Copi photos. The sound, as with everything Tim Owens produced, is excellent.
If you haven’t yet fallen in love with Sarah Vaughan, Live at Rosy’s just might play cupid for you as it did for me. Highly recommended.
Resonance, 2016
This promotional video is just that, promotional, so be warned. But it has some good footage and interviews, and it’ll give you a good idea of how great this music is.
