Sarah Vaughan
Biography
Sarah Vaughan's 1954 masterpiece "Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown" stands as one of the most exquisite vocal jazz recordings ever captured, a sublime meeting of two extraordinary talents at the peak of their powers. The album showcases Vaughan's remarkable four-octave range and her ability to transform melody into pure emotion, supported by the brilliant trumpet work of Clifford Brown and a stellar rhythm section. This recording perfectly encapsulates everything that made "Sassy" - as she was affectionately known - one of the greatest jazz vocalists of all time: her impeccable timing, her innovative harmonic sense, and her ability to make every song sound like a personal confession.
Born Sarah Lois Vaughan on March 27, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey, she grew up in a musical household where her carpenter father played guitar and her laundress mother sang in the church choir. Young Sarah's prodigious talent emerged early as she served as organist and choir director at Mount Zion Baptist Church as a teenager. Her life changed dramatically in 1942 when friends dared the 18-year-old to enter the amateur contest at Harlem's legendary Apollo Theater. Her stunning rendition of "Body and Soul" not only won the contest but caught the attention of singer Billy Eckstine, who recommended her to bandleader Earl Hines.
Vaughan's professional career began in earnest when she joined Hines' big band in 1943, where she worked alongside jazz luminaries Charlie Parker and Dizzy Gillespie. This early exposure to bebop's pioneers profoundly influenced her approach to melody and harmony, setting her apart from other vocalists of her generation. When Eckstine formed his own band in 1944, Vaughan followed, further honing her craft in an environment that encouraged musical experimentation and innovation.
By the late 1940s, Vaughan had established herself as a solo artist, signing with Columbia Records and later Musicraft. Her voice was unlike anything audiences had heard before - a rich, dark contralto that could soar into soprano territory with ease, capable of operatic grandeur one moment and intimate whispers the next. She possessed an uncanny ability to bend notes and phrases, treating her voice as a horn player might, improvising with melodies while maintaining perfect pitch and emotional authenticity.
The 1950s marked Vaughan's golden period, with recordings for Mercury Records that showcased her versatility across different musical contexts. Albums like "In the Land of Hi-Fi" (1955) and "Swingin' Easy" (1957) demonstrated her mastery of both intimate ballads and swinging uptempo numbers. Her interpretations of standards like "Misty," "Lullaby of Birdland," and "Broken Hearted Melody" became definitive versions that influenced countless singers who followed.
Vaughan's technical prowess was matched by her emotional intelligence as an interpreter. She could find new meanings in familiar songs, revealing hidden depths through subtle phrasing and dynamic control. Her version of "Send in the Clowns" transformed Sondheim's theatrical piece into a deeply personal meditation on love and loss, while her take on "The Man I Love" redefined how jazz vocalists could approach Gershwin's classics.
Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Vaughan continued to evolve, experimenting with different musical settings from symphony orchestras to Brazilian rhythms. Her 1982 album "Gershwin Live!" with the Los Angeles Philharmonic earned her a Grammy Award, proving that her artistry remained undiminished well into her later career. She received numerous accolades including the NEA Jazz Masters Award in 1989 and was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame multiple times.
Vaughan's influence on subsequent generations of vocalists cannot be overstated. Artists from Ella Fitzgerald to Diana Krall have cited her as a primary inspiration, and her approach to jazz singing - treating the voice as an instrument capable of the same improvisational freedom as any horn - became the template for serious jazz vocalists. Her technical innovations, including her use of vibrato and her fearless exploration of a song's harmonic possibilities, expanded the vocabulary of jazz singing.
Sarah Vaughan passed away on April 3, 1990, leaving behind a recorded legacy that continues to inspire and astound listeners. Her contribution to American music extends far beyond her impressive discography; she helped elevate jazz singing to an art form of the highest order, proving that
