Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown @320 (1954)

Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown (1954)





Mp3 320 kbps 44 kHz This 1954 studio date, a self-titled album recorded for Emarcy, was later reissued as Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown to denote the involvement of one of the top trumpeters of the day. Vaughan sings nine intimate standards with a band including Brown on trumpet, Herbie Mann on flute, and Paul Quinichette on tenor, each of which have plenty of space for solos (most of the songs are close to the five-minute mark).



Vaughan is arguably in the best voice of her career here, pausing and lingering over notes on the standards "April in Paris," "Jim," and "Lullaby of Birdland." As touching as Vaughan is, however, Brown almost equals her with his solos on "Lullaby of Birdland," "Jim," and "September Song," displaying his incredible bop virtuosity in a restrained setting without sacrificing either the simple feeling of his notes or the extraordinary flair of his choices.



Quinichette's solos are magnificent as well, his feathery tone nearly a perfect match for Vaughan's voice. Ironically though, neither Brown nor Quinichette or Mann appear on the album's highlight, "Embraceable You," which Vaughan performs with close accompaniment from the rhythm section: Jimmy Jones on piano, Joe Benjamin on bass, and Roy Haynes on drums.



Vaughan rounds the notes with a smile and even when she's steeping to reach a few low notes, she never loses the tremendous feeling conveyed by her voice. In whichever incarnation it's reissued, Sarah Vaughan With Clifford Brown is one of the most important jazz-meets-vocal sessions ever recorded.01 Lullaby 0f Birdland ... George Shearing, George David Weiss (3:59)

02 September Song ... Kurt Weill, Maxwell Anderson (5:44)

03 I'm Glad There's You ... Jimmy Dorsey, Paul Mertz (5:09)

04 You're Not The Kind ... Irving Mills, Will Hudson (4:41)

05 Jim ... Nelson Shawn, Caesar Petrillo, Edward Ross (5:50)

06 He's My Guy ... Gene DePaul, Don Raye (4:12)

07 April In Paris ... Vernon Duke, E.Y. "Yip" Harburg (6:19)

08 It's Crazy ... Richard Rodgers, Dorothy Fields (4:55)

09 Embraceable You ... George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin (4:48)

10 Lullaby Of Birdland ... George Shearing, George David Weiss (3:58)

Sarah Vaughan (vocals)

Herbie Mann (flute)

Paul Quinichette (tenor saxophone)

Clifford Brown (trumpet)

Jimmy Jones (piano)

Joe Benjamin (bass guitar)

Roy Haynes (drums)



Recorded at Fine Sound, New York City: tracks 1-4 and 10 on December 16, 1954; tracks 5-9 on December 18