Another live record, and I dig this one quite a bit more than Duke Ellington's Ellington at Newport. For one it has a more off the cuff feel while still capturing Sarah Vaughan's incredible voice and charm. Toward the end of "Willow Weep For Me" she flubs a line and sings, "I really fouled up this song real well" to the laughter of the crowd. That's what I want out of a live record! To see the artist as a human being is part of the reason to go to a live show, and it's one of those things where the flaws are what make it special. But my god could this woman sing. I've been listening to a lot of these records in the kitchen lately and it's been a real treat. We're in the middle of a four album span where 3/4 of the records are from three of the great ladies of jazz. And you think about Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, and Ella Fitzgerald and you wonder how white people have the nerve to think they are somehow superior. I think about what it must have been like to not only be black, but a black woman, singing for white folks for their entertainment, and yet being seen as something lesser. It is truly obscene. This record, on the other hand, is truly sublime.
No comments:
Post a Comment