SARAH VAUGHAN – 1951-1952 | The Classics Chronological Series – 1296 (2003) FLAC (tracks+.cue), lossless

Aficionados of Classics' chronological series of compilations may be disheartened by this volume of Sarah Vaughan sides, taken from her early-'50s stint on Columbia. After years of perfection, listeners soon came to expect the best from Classics -- thorough compilations, faithful sound, and dozens of hot sides by some of the best jazz artists of the swing era. Unfortunately, while few female vocalists swung as righteously as Sarah Vaughan, there's no evidence of it here. The compilation includes two dozen sides, from the beginning of 1951 through the very end of 1952, at a time when Columbia was marketing her as a "serious" vocalist, neither jazz fire nor pop novelty but straight, trad balladry. Backed by large, string-filled orchestras (most led by Paul Weston or Percy Faith), Vaughan doesn't shine. Her voice, majestic and filled with drama, should be perfect in this setting, but the gauzy arrangements and often subpar material make a difficult task nearly impossible. Since Vaughan's delivery was usually direct, it was difficult for her to fight poor material and lackluster backing (unlike Billie Holiday, that notoriously excellent singer of bad material). She performs the opener, "Ave Maria," with operatic precision, and exercises her deep, low vibrato on "My Reverie," but shows little interest in anything more than straightforward readings. "Street of Dreams," one of the few songs here that outlasted the '50s, is one of the few bright spots amidst the gloom. John Bush  
Tracklist :
1     Ave Maria 3'29
Franz Schubert    
2     A City Called Heaven 3:32
Traditional    
3     Deep Purple 3'10
Peter DeRose / Mitchell Parish    
4     These Things I Offer You 3'01
Bennie Benjamin / Morty Nevins / George David Weiss
5     Vanity 2'38
Bernard Bierman / Jack Manus / Guy Wood    
6     My Reverie 2'35
Larry Clinton / Claude Debussy    
7     Out O' Breath 2'39
Bennie Benjamin / George David Weiss    
8     After Hours 2'53
Rozzo Gordon    
9     Just a Moment More 3'21
Ray Evans / Jay Livingston    
10     Pinky 2'45
Frank Loesser / Alfred Newman
11     I Ran All the Way Home 3'13
Bennie Benjamin / George David Weiss    
12     A Miracle Happened 3'20
Eliot Daniel / Alfred Newman
13     Street of Dreams 3'03
Sam M. Lewis / Lester Young    
14     Time to Go 3'01
R. Getzov    
15     Corner to Corner
Sol Marcus    
16     If Someone Had Told Me 2'57
Peter DeRose / Charles Tobias    
17     Say You'll Wait for Me 3'06
Jesse Cavanaugh / Vittoria Mascheroni / Alberto Ravasini
18     Sinner or Saint 3'00
Irving Gordon    
19     My Tormented Heart 3'01
E. Nelson / Enrico Toselli    
20     Mighty Lonesome Feeling 2'50
Sammy Gallop / Al Kent    
21     It's All in the Mind 3'23
Ficher / Roberts    
22     I Confess 2'22
Fredrik Arnesson / Al Hoffman / Jack Lawrence
23     Lover's Quarrel 2'41
Vic McAlpin / Newt Richardson    
24     Time 3'07
Boudleaux Bryant / Felice Bryant
Credits :
Orchestra – Norman Leyden And His Orchestra (pistas: 1, 2), Paul Weston And His Orchestra (pistas: 5 to 8), Percy Faith & His Orchestra (pistas: 3, 4, 9 to 24)
Vocals – Sarah Vaughan