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There are only three great ladies of jazz
singing: Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, and Sarah Vaughan.
Vaughan's voice had a fullness and range that went beyond the
confines of jazz. It is easily to imagine Vaughan tackling pop,
Broadway, or even opera because she can both control her phrasing
and raise her octave voice higher when the occasion calls for
it. But her legacy as a jazz diva had already been assured since
emerging in the late 40s. This superb sampler of her work covering
up to the late '60s shows the range of material she handled,
including ebullient numbers such as "Shulie A Bop"
(which featured some scatting) and "Lullaby on Broadway,"
and the wonderful ballads and standards like on "Lush Life,"
"My Funny Valentine," the graceful How High the Moon,
and the soulful "Lover Man." Whether backed by a jazz
combo or a full orchestra, Vaughan was an artist in her own world--she
took jazz singing to a higher level. Those who never been to
that world should seek this as an introduction.
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