SARAH VAUGHAN - THE COMPLETE COLUMBIA ALBUMS COLLECTIONS

•The albums in this collection serve as bookends to Sarah’s long and illustrious career as one of the greatest vocalists of the 20th century, in any genre. The first two contain recordings from 1949-1953 when she was first signed to a major label -- Columbia. And Gershwin Live! and Brazilian Romance are two of her last and best albums, recorded as special projects for CBS/Columbia in 1982 and 1987.

•After Hours With Sarah Vaughan has never been on CD. This CD edition contains four bonus tracks not on the original LP.

•Sarah Vaughan In Hi-Fi features Miles Davis in a rare role accompanying a vocalist and contains 9 bonus tracks not on the original LP.

•None of these albums are presently available on CD.

•Booklet contains full discographical info., rare photos, and liner notes by award-winning vocalist scholar/author and Wall Street Journal jazz columnist Will Friedwald.

Some called her “Sassy” or “The Divine One,” but for most, Sarah Vaughan was known as only one thing: the ultimate jazz vocalist of the 20th-Century. Now, a quartet of classic albums have been brought together as Sarah Vaughan: The Complete Columbia Albums Collection; a four-CD set that further enhances the legacy of this magisterial singer. The recordings included span nearly 40 years and bookend her first major label signing -- to Columbia in 1949 -- and her return to the label as a world-renowned diva for two special projects in 1982 and 1987.

After Hours With Sarah Vaughan captures the sumptuous 1949-1952 sessions that set Vaughan's luscious tones off of arrangements for strings. Complemented by orchestra leaders including Percy Faith and Mitch Miller, Vaughan delivers top notch interpretations of "Just Friends," "I Cried For You," "Street Of Dreams,” her hit, "Black Coffee”, and other standards. Four bonus tracks not found on the original album are included here.

Sarah Vaughan In Hi-Fi, features her mostly from1949 and 1950 in a more jazz-oriented setting with none other than a young Miles Davis, in one of the only times he accompanied a singer on record. Nine bonus tracks highlight this disc.

Recorded at the Hollywood Bowl in 1982, Michael Tilson Thomas / Sarah Vaughan: Gershwin Live! unites the now fully matured singer, still in peak vocal condition, with the renowned conductor Michael Tilson Thomas in a program of beloved Gershwin tunes that includes "The Man I Love" and "Someone to Watch Over Me," as well as a “Porgy and Bess” medley. This album won Vaughan the 1982 Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance. One fascinating aspect of this box is the opportunity it presents to compare Sarah’s interpretations of the same Gershwin material -- “Summertime” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It” -- from both early and late periods in her career.

Sarah Vaughan: Brazilian Romance, Vaughan’s last complete album, finds her in a personal comfort zone. A longtime fan of Brazilian popular music, Vaughan takes to such gorgeous tunes as “So Many Stars,” “Photograph” and “Nothing Will Be As It Was” with passion and her trademark artistry -- a fitting farewell.

•Gershwin Live! took home the Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female in 1982.

•Song highlights contained on the four CDs include both early (1949-1950) and late (1982) versions of “Summertime” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It” plus her hits and favorites “Black Coffee,” “You’re Mine You,” “The Nearness Of You,” “So Many Stars,” “Nothing Will Be As It Was,” and many more.

Albums included:
1.After Hours With Sarah Vaughan
2.Sarah Vaughan In Hi-Fi
3.Michael Tilson Thomas / Sarah Vaughan: Gershwin Live!
4.Sarah Vaughan: Brazilian Romance