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Sarah Vaughan
In the 1940s, when most women singers adorned big bands as stage attractions rather than legitimate members of jazz ensembles, Sarah Vaughan, along with her predecessor Ella Fitzgerald, helped elevate the vocalist's role as equal to that of the jazz instrumentalist. A woman known for her many vicissitudes, Vaughan's outspoken personality and artistic eloquence brought her the names "Sassy" and "The Divine One.” A talented pianist, she joined the ranks of the 1940s bebop movement and became, as a member of the Earl Hines and Billy Eckstine bands, one of its most celebrated vocalists. Her dynamic vocal range, sophisticated harmonic sense, and horn-like phrasing brought Vaughan million-selling numbers and a stage and recording career that spanned half a decade.
Sarah Lois Vaughan was born the daughter of Asbury and Ada Vaughan on March 27, 1924, in Newark, New Jersey. As a youth Vaughan took piano lessons and attended the Mount Zion Baptist Church, where she served as a church keyboardist. At home Vaughan played the family's upright piano and listened to the recordings of jazz artists Count Basie and Erskine Hawkins. After discovering Newark's numerous theaters and movie houses, she skipped school and left home at night to watch dances and stage shows. By age 15, she performed at local clubs, playing piano and singing.
Not long after, Vaughan took the train across the river to Harlem to frequent the Savoy Ballroom and the Apollo Theatre. One evening, in 1943, she sat in at the Apollo amateur show, a fiercely competitive contest that often exposed lesser talents to the harsh criticism of the theater's audience. Vaughan's moving performance of "Body and Soul" not only brought a fever of applause from the crowd, it also caught the attention of singer Billy Eckstine. Eckstine informed his bandleader Earl "Fatha" Hines about the young singer. Hines then allowed Vaughan to attend the band's uptown band rehearsal. At the rehearsal, Vaughan's singing won immediate praise from Hines and his musicians. One of the premiere modern big bands of the era, Hines's ensemble included such talents as trumpeters Dizzy Gillespie and Fats Navarro, saxophonist Charlie Parker, and trombonist J. J. Johnson. As the only female bandmember, Vaughan shared the vocal spotlight with Eckstine and played piano, often in duet settings with Hines. Vaughan debuted at the Apollo with Hines's band on April 23, 1943.
Not long after, most of Hines's modernist sidemen, including Gillespie, Parker, and Eckstine, gradually left the band. Vaughan remained briefly with Hines's band until she accepted an invitation to join Eckstine's newly-formed bebop big band in 1944. In December of that year, she cut her first side "I'll Wait and Pray," backed by the Eckstine band, which included Dizzy Gillespie, saxophonists Dexter Gordon and Gene Ammons, and pianist John Malachi.
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Sarah Vaughan Centennial, New Releases By Monty Alexander, Martin Budde, Danae Olano, Kelly Green & More
by Mary Foster Conklin
Women's History Month continues with new releases from Monty Alexander, Martin Budde, Danae Olano, Allison Adams Tucker and Kelly Green, with birthday shoutouts to Deanna Witkowski, Eliane Elias, Marian McPartland, Sarah Vaughan (100!), Meredith d'Ambrosio, Miki Yamanaka, Sister Rosetta Tharpe and Virginia Schenck, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by seeing them live and online. Purchase their music so they can continue to distract, comfort, provoke and inspire. Playlist Deanna Witkowski Gjon ...
Continue ReadingOpulence: Grenache Blanc Meets Sarah Vaughan
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Join Kristen for an exploration of opulence through a white Priorat and Sarah Vaughan's later work with the Count Basie Orchestra, discovering what makes something 'extra' in just the right way. ...
Continue ReadingOpulence: Grenache Blanc Meets Sarah Vaughan
by Kristen Lee Sergeant
Welcome to 2022's first Jazz & Juice--I'm excited to journey with you into the realm of wine and song in this new year! I think you'll enjoy this month's hedonistic theme no matter what you've resolved for the new year. Opulence Opulence brings to mind abundance, ornamentation, wealth and, well, muchness. A profusion or abundance of something can hazard gratuitousness, yet it also may lead to the delightfully decadent. Opulence brings us past the point of necessity and ...
Continue ReadingSarah Vaughan, Petter Eldh, Artifacts, Immanuel Wilkins and More New Releases
by Ludovico Granvassu
A lil' dive in the 1970's world of soulor funk-tinged jazz, then some adventurous large ensembles; a focus on Scandinavian artists and the first single from Immanuel Wilkins' sophomore release. It's a set with lots of interesting facets.Happy listening!Playlist Ben Allison Mondo Jazz Theme (feat. Ted Nash & Pyeng Threadgill)" 0:00 Sarah Vaughan Inner City Blues" Mainstream Funk Revisited (WEWANTSOUNDS) 0:16 Host talks 4:23 Julien Lourau Red Clay" Power of Soul, the Music of CTI (Komos) ...
Continue ReadingWrapping Up Womens History Month With New Releases and Birthday Shoutouts To Aretha Franklin And Sarah Vaughan
by Mary Foster Conklin
This broadcast wraps up Womens History Month featuring new releases from Bill Cunliffe, Jeff Coffin & Helen Gillet, vocalists Joanie Pallatto, Hannah Baiardi and Georgia Mancio plus birthday shoutouts to Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Meredith D'Ambrosio, Renee Rosnes, Hiromi, Mimi Jones and Stacey Kent, among others. Thanks for listening and please support the artists you hear by purchasing their music during this time of lockdown.Playlist Artemis Big Top" from Artemis (Blue Note) 00:00 Joanie Pallatto My Original ...
Continue ReadingJazz Singers in the 1950s – Sarah Vaughan, Helen Merrill, Dinah Washington and Abbey Lincoln (1954 - 1962)
by Russell Perry
Many jazz singers of the 1950s continued the tradition of recording with major instrumentalists who were given the space to improvise, feeding off the collaboration. In 1954, EmArCy records matched three of their singers, representing the wide range of their offerings--Sarah Vaughan, Dinah Washington and Helen Merrill--with jazz ensembles featuring their rising star, trumpeter Clifford Brown. Brown's quintet partner, Max Roach anchored several outings that featured his wife, Abbey Lincoln with the all-star ensembles including trumpeter Booker Little, trombonist Julian ...
Continue ReadingCelebrating Sarah Vaughan And A New Betty Carter Recording
by Mary Foster Conklin
The final Sunday of Womens History Month includes new releases from Bob Dorough, Gabrielle Stravelli, Patricia Barber plus a first listen to Betty Carter's first posthumous recording of a live 1992 concert in the early days of Jazz at Lincoln Center, with birthday shout outs to legendary vocalists Sarah Vaughan, Aretha Franklin, Astrud Gilberto, and Pearl Bailey, blues guitarist Etta Baker and saxophonist Ben Webster, among others. Playlist Ben Webster Weep for Me" from Ballads (Phoenix) 00:00 Dave's ...
Continue ReadingSarah Vaughan: Concert in Stockholm (1967)
Source:
JazzWax by Marc Myers
By the late 1960s, more jazz singers and musicians had tabled the American songbook and were digging into the new standards by the decade's contemporary pop composers. They had to if they wanted to attract younger audiences. This was especially true while performing abroad. [Photo above of Sarah Vaughan in Stockholm in 1967, courtesy of YouTube] On October 31, 1967, Sarah Vaughan was at Stockholm Gothenburg Concert Hall, with Bob James on piano, Herb Mickman on bass and Omar Clay ...
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Announcing Top Five Finalists Of The 13th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition
Source:
AMT Public Relations
Tickets are now on sale. Sunday, Nov 24 @ NJPAC, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ. Reserve online at SarahVaughanCompetition.com or by calling 888.466.5722. The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced the top five finalists of the 13th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Pulled from 220+ entrants from 21 different countries, these gifted young singers represent the next generation of great jazz vocalists. The top five finalists are: Amira B. (New York City), Georgia Heers (New York ...
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Registration For The 13th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Is Now Open
Source:
AMT Public Relations
As part of NJPAC’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced the opening of the 13th annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. The search is on for the next great jazz singer! Solo vocalists from around the world are encouraged to submit their entries before September 3, 2024, by visiting SarahVaughanCompetition.com. In the Fall, the Top Five Finalists will be announced followed by a star-studded final performance on the iconic NJPAC stage. ...
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The 12th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Announces Top Five Finalists
Source:
AMT Public Relations
As part of NJPAC’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival and Year-Round Centennial Celebrations Honoring Sarah Vaughan Tickets are now on sale. Sunday, November 19 @ NJPAC, 1 Center Street, Newark, NJ. Reserve online at NJPAC.org or by calling 888.466.5722. As part of NJPAC’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival (November 3-19), the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced the top five finalists of the 12th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Pulled from a record 280+ submissions representing ...
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The New Jersey Performing Arts Center Hosts Year-Round Celebrations In Honor Of The 100th Birthday Of Newark’s Own Sarah Vaughan
Source:
AMT Public Relations
Sarah Vaughan Centennial Concert Hosted by Dee Dee Bridgewater Known as the anchor cultural institution for the city of Newark and the state of New Jersey, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced its year-round celebrations in honor of the centennial of Sarah Vaughan’s birth. Born in Newark, New Jersey, on March 27, 1924, Sarah Vaughan became one of the most successful jazz vocalists in the history of American music. The power, range, and flexibility of her voice ...
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Jazz Musician of the Day: Sarah Vaughan
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Sarah Vaughan's birthday today!
In the 1940s, when most women singers adorned big bands as stage attractions rather than legitimate members of jazz ensembles, Sarah Vaughan, along with her predecessor Ella Fitzgerald, helped elevate the vocalist's role as equal to that of the jazz instrumentalist. A woman known for her many vicissitudes, Vaughan's outspoken personality and artistic eloquence brought her the names Sassy" and The Divine One.” A talented pianist, she joined the ranks of ...
read more
The 11th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Selects Top Five Finalists As Part Of NJPAC’s TD James Moody Jazz Festival
Source:
AMT Public Relations
A world of jazz just minutes from home, the New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) today announced the top five finalists of the 11th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. Pulled from over 200 submissions from over 25 countries, these gifted young contestants from around the world represent the next generation of great jazz singers. The Top Five finalists comprise two international singers Kristin Lash of Bratislava, Slovakia, and Lucía Gutiérrez Rebolloso of Mexico, and three Manhattanites: Harlem-based Allan ...
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Registration For The 11th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition Is Now Open
Source:
AMT Public Relations
The New Jersey Performing Arts Center (NJPAC) announced the opening of the 11th Annual Sarah Vaughan International Jazz Vocal Competition. The search is on for the next great jazz singer! Solo vocalists from around the world are encouraged to submit their entries before September 6, 2022, by visiting SarahVaughanCompetition.com. In the Fall 2022, the Top Five Finalists will be announced followed by a star-studded final performance on the iconic NJPAC stage. The Sarah Vaughan International Vocal Competition, also known as ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Sarah Vaughan
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Sarah Vaughan's birthday today!
In the 1940s, when most women singers adorned big bands as stage attractions rather than legitimate members of jazz ensembles, Sarah Vaughan, along with her predecessor Ella Fitzgerald, helped elevate the vocalist's role as equal to that of the jazz instrumentalist. A woman known for her many vicissitudes, Vaughan's outspoken personality and artistic eloquence brought her the names Sassy" and The Divine One.” A talented pianist, she joined the ranks of ...
read more
Jazz Musician of the Day: Sarah Vaughan
Source:
Michael Ricci
All About Jazz is celebrating Sarah Vaughan's birthday today!
In the 1940s, when most women singers adorned big bands as stage attractions rather than legitimate members of jazz ensembles, Sarah Vaughan, along with her predecessor Ella Fitzgerald, helped elevate the vocalist's role as equal to that of the jazz instrumentalist. A woman known for her many vicissitudes, Vaughan's outspoken personality and artistic eloquence brought her the names Sassy" and The Divine One.” A talented pianist, she joined the ranks of ...
read more