Here,
Naxos
takes listeners on a fascinating tour through Miss Sassy's earliest sides via a plethora of small, now-defunct labels and a galaxy of fabled
bop
and
swing
bandleaders and players. This was not the husky-voiced, swooping diva who much of the world came to know later; rather,
Vaughan
was a lighter, silkier soprano in the mid-'40s, more in the manner of the species of
big band
voices which an older generation of journalists used to call "thrushes." The disc opens with six tunes for the
Continental
label and one for
Guild
with various combos led by
Dizzy Gillespie
. You know you're in good hands on the very first track,
"Mean to Me,"
which opens promisingly to the instantly recognizable flurries of
Charlie Parker
, with
Flip Phillips
Gillespie
to follow, no less.
has the temerity to take on the
Billie Holiday
signature song
"Lover Man,"
and doesn't sound unseasoned or superficial in the least. Next is Sassy's recorded debut,
"I'll Wait and Pray,"
a majestic performance on the
DeLuxe
label from December 5, 1944, with hints of the gliding, sassy contralto of the future. Her backing is no less newsworthy, a rare recorded appearance by the fabled
Billy Eckstine
that helped incubate the forthcoming
revolution. Four
ballad
sides for
Crown
with
John Kirby
's combo from 1946 follow, with a lovely rendition of the then-brand-new standard
"It Might As Well Be Spring"
being the most alluring. The disc concludes with five examples of her work for
Musicraft
, including a hypnotic
"September Song"
and one for
HRS
,
"We're Through,"
that also contains hints of the older Sassy's style. Anyone who wants to trace the evolution of
Sarah Vaughan
should start right here at the beginning. ~ Richard S. Ginell