18. Sarah Vaughan - At Mr. Kelly's (1958)

1. September in the Rain

2. Willow Weep for Me*

3. Just One of Those Things*

4. Be Anything (But Be Mine)

5. Thou Swell

6. Stairway to the Stars

7. Honeysuckle Rose

8. Just a Gigolo

9. How High the Moon

10. Dream

11. I'm Gonna Sit Right Down (And Write Myself a Letter)

12. It's Got to Be Love

13. Alone

14. If This Isn't Love

15. Embraceable You

16. Lucky in Love

17. Dancing in the Dark

18. Poor Butterfly*

19. Sometimes I'm Happy

20. I Cover the Waterfront

A

[I should probably start by pointing out that, as with Ellington at Newport, I've gone with the reissue which contains significantly more material - something I'm OK with as it's tacitly endorsed in the entry in the Book.]

Seventeen albums in and this is only our second female artist. Well, I suppose a few women lent their vocals to Palo Congo but I'm not sure that counts. It's annoying foir me as I generally prefer female vocalists. And really, why couldn't they have put Julie Is Her Name on this list? It's at least as good as that Tito Puente album, and Julie London has been hugely influential in her own way.

Anyway, there is a very fine backing band on this album, consisting of piano, bass and drums; but the main draw is Sarah Vaughan's incredible vocals. She would have to be one of the finest singers I've ever had the pleasure of hearing. True, she doesn't always ace the emotional tone of the song she's singing, but that could just be because she's playing to a nightclub crowd and wants to keep the mood up. From a technical standpoint, however, she's unimpeachable. And thankfully, unlike so many godawful divas over the years (Mariah Carey, I am looking at you), she doesn't let an obsession with technical wizardry overwhelm the songs. Though capable of vocal pyrotechnics, it's all in service of the musicality of the piece. She can also be quite sexy at times, which I suppose shouldn't be surprising given the existence of her recording of "Whatever Lola Wants".

My main complaint about a lot of these singers we've been having, and I suppose with the music of the 1950s in general as it is represented in this book, is that the formidable technical ability of the performers is seldom matched by appropriately impressive lyrics. Almost every song so far has been a love song, and few of them were especially deep ones. They've been witty, or funny, or sad, but never especially penetrating. You can see why the youth turned to folk music, with its songs about real life, and how Bob Dylan could make such a big splash.

I don't mean to detract from the music we've had so far by saying that. All the albums have been good, and At Mr. Kelly's is quite frankly brilliant. This is another one of those "hang out" albums, where I felt like I was relaxing in the company of funny, talented and charming people. And really, "charming" is the best word to describe At Mr. Kelly's. Vaughan has a funny, easy-going stage persona. She also makes the best of a bad situation - screwing up and finishing early on "Willow Weep for Me"", forgetting the words and attempting to scat on "How High the Moon", and bravely soldiering through "Dream" despite neither she or the band really knowing it very well. Indeed, she brings a warmth and likability to everything she does. The band are also great - in particular pianist Jimmy Jones. It's a great little jazz combo that perfectly complements Vaughan's vocals.

Well I sat down thinking I wouldn't have much to say, but there you go. The next album is Ella Fitzgerald's Gershwin Songbook, so it might take me a while as that is three CDs worth of material. But anyway, on I go.