Swingin' Easy
Swingin' Easy | ||||
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Studio album by Sarah Vaughan | ||||
Released | 1957 | |||
Recorded | April 2, 1954, February 14, 1957 | |||
Genre | Vocal jazz | |||
Length | 35:26 | |||
Label | EmArcy 36109 | |||
Producer | Jack Tracy | |||
Sarah Vaughan chronology | ||||
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Review scores | |
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Source | Rating |
AllMusic | [1] |
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings | [2] |
Swingin' Easy is a 1957 studio album by the American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan.
On the second chorus of "All of Me" Vaughan bops in "a quite extraordinary fashion, covering more than two octaves" (from the sleeve notes). "Pennies from Heaven" is taken slower than is usual and Vaughan creates a brand new melody the second time around, a kind of descant improvising on the original tune.
Eight of the tracks, recorded on April 2, 1954, with John Malachi on piano and Joe Benjamin on bass, were originally released that year on a 10-inch LP entitled Images.
Critical reception
The initial Billboard review from November 1957 said the album was a "commentary on Miss Vaughan's high level of professionalism and ease in jazz environment. Relaxed quality is keynote here as the singer makes the difficult sound easy."[3] The Billboard review highlighted "Words Can't Describe", which noted that it was given an "especially cogent reading".[3] Mentioning “Shulie a Bop”, “Lover Man”, and “Linger Awhile” as particular highlights, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings says that, backed by only a rhythm section, “Vaughan is at her freest and most good-humoured.”[2]
Track listing
- "Shulie a Bop" (George Treadwell, Sarah Vaughan) – 2:42
- "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" (Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez, Jimmy Sherman) – 3:19
- "I Cried for You" (Gus Arnheim, Arthur Freed, Abe Lyman) – 1:42
- "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Sonny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:36
- "All of Me" (Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons) – 3:18
- "Words Can't Describe" (Bill Tennyson) – 4:35
- "Prelude to a Kiss" (Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills) – 2:48
- "You Hit the Spot" (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel) – 3:03
- "Pennies from Heaven" (Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston) – 3:07
- "If I Knew Then (What I Know Now)" (Eddie Howard, Dick Jurgens) – 2:33
- "Body and Soul" (Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) – 3:15
- "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:44
- "Linger Awhile" (Harry Owens, Vincent Rose) – 1:00 (Bonus track not on the original LP.)
Personnel
Recorded April, 1954 and February, 1957, in New York City, United States:
- Sarah Vaughan – vocals
- Jimmy Jones – piano, tracks 3, 5, 6, 9, and 13
- John Malachi – piano, tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12
- Richard Davis – double bass, tracks 3, 5, 6, 9, and 13
- Joe Benjamin – double bass, tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12
- Roy Haynes – drums
References
- ^ AllMusic review
- ^ a b Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1443-1444. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
- ^ a b "Jazz Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 November 1957. pp. 40–. ISSN 0006-2510.
- v
- t
- e
- Sarah Vaughan (1950 album)
- Sarah Vaughan (1955 album)
- In the Land of Hi-Fi
- After Hours
- Sassy
- Swingin' Easy
- Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin
- Sarah Vaughan Sings George Gershwin
- Sarah Vaughan Sings Broadway: Great Songs from Hit Shows
- No Count Sarah
- Vaughan and Violins
- Close to You
- Dreamy
- The Divine One
- The Explosive Side of Sarah Vaughan
- Count Basie/Sarah Vaughan
- After Hours
- You're Mine You
- Sarah + 2
- Sarah Sings Soulfully
- Snowbound
- Sweet 'n' Sassy
- Star Eyes
- Sarah Slightly Classical
- Vaughan with Voices
- Pop Artistry of Sarah Vaughan
- The Lonely Hours
- ¡Viva! Vaughan
- Sarah Vaughan Sings the Mancini Songbook
- The New Scene
- It's a Man's World
- Sassy Swings Again
- A Time in My Life
- Sarah Vaughan with Michel Legrand
- Feelin' Good
- Send in the Clowns
- I Love Brazil!
- How Long Has This Been Going On?
- The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 1
- The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 2
- Copacabana
- Songs of the Beatles
- Send in the Clowns
- Crazy and Mixed Up
- The Planet Is Alive...Let It Live!
- Brazilian Romance
- At Mister Kelly's
- After Hours at the London House
- Sassy Swings the Tivoli
- Live in Japan
- Sarah Vaughan with the Jimmy Rowles Quintet
- Ronnie Scott's Presents Sarah Vaughan Live
- Gershwin Live!
- One Night Stand – The Town Hall Concert 1947
- In the City of Lights
- Linger Awhile: Live at Newport and More
- Divine Lady of Song
- 2:00 AM Paradise Cafe
- Back on the Block
- Hot Jazz
- The Divine Sarah Sings
- "Tenderly"
- "Nature Boy"
- "It's Magic"
- "Black Coffee"
- "That Lucky Old Sun (Just Rolls Around Heaven All Day)"
- "Thinking of You"
- "Vanity"
- "How Important Can It Be?"
- "Whatever Lola Wants"
- "Mr. Wonderful"
- "The Banana Boat Song"
- "Passing Strangers"
- "Broken Hearted Melody"
- "Misty"
- "Eternally"
- "A Lover's Concerto"
- "Autumn in New York"
- "Body and Soul"
- "Dancing in the Dark"
- "Don't Blame Me"
- "Everything I Have Is Yours"
- "I've Got a Crush on You"
- "If You Could See Me Now"
- "Moonlight in Vermont"
- "My Funny Valentine"
- "Poor Butterfly"
- "Send In the Clowns"
- "Someone to Watch Over Me"
- "With These Hands"
- The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan
- Sarah: Dedicated to You
- Unmarked Van: A Tribute to Sarah Vaughan