MUSIC OR DIE #17: Sarah Vaughan, "Live at Mister Kelly's" (1957)

Part 17 of my 1000+ part series.
(For info on that, clickety-click-click)

In which I listen to a live, one-take album from an oft-forgot jazz legend. And figure out who tf Mister Kelly is, and why he wants my hat. And also ignore the fact that chronologically this comes after my previous post's album. Oops.

TL;DR:

More after The Cut >>>

1.) September in the Rain

So disclaimer: I didn't know a single thing about Sarah Vaughan before hearing this, and I gotta say her voice is, well, really freaking great. She has the quintessential '50s jazz voice, and actually reminds me a lot of Ella Fitzgerald in her phrasing and something about the timbre of her voice. 

Compare this version of the song to a more modern take by a modern classic female vocalist, Annie Lennox, and the difference is remarkable:

Vaughan's is far less world-weary, and much more 'swingy,' from the instrumentation to the tempo.

Looking at the Peggy Lee version from 1945 as well, Lee's is relatively pared back and sad. Vaughan's is far more lush - you can feel her looking back not just with sadness, but also with genuine fondness and happiness at that September in the rain. 

Less this...

...more this. Totally.

2.) Willow Weep for Me

I love the fact that the recording opens with her saying that they are trying to find their key. 

Vaughan is just accompanied by a piano and a barely-there drum from the onset, highlighting her voice. "Listen, willow, and weep for me."

SHE SEES INTO YOUR VERY SOUL

I also love the fact that she throws off the song lyrics towards the end ("I've really fouled up this song real well"), and someone knocks a mic stand over, and she keeps trucking on, still sounding so wonderful. It's such a fun moment, one that shows how fun this all was for everyone. Wish I could have been in that audience. 

3.) Just One of Those Things

Actually a favorite song of Holden Caulfield's, apparently.

...but I actually like this song. Huh.

And ouch, basically this song is about a night that was a wham-bam-thank you ma'am, so yo, head on out. 

What do you mean 'memes can die'?

Even as Vaughan sings about how yeah, it was a great night where they flew to the moon "on gossamer wings" (overselling much?), but it was also just a fling, she never reads as sleazy or cruel. And *that* is a truly amazing feat.

4.) Be Anything (But Be Mine)

Let's take it down a few notches now, everyone.

"Be a beggar/Be a thief." OK, then, don't mind if I do! 

In a display of astoundingly low standards, she doesn't give a flippin' flop who you are, if you're nice or a complete jerkoff, as long as you're hers! 

The achingly sweet way in which she sells the line, "Be the angel of my prayers" is the high point of a song that doesn't necessarily read well by today's standards. It's an amazing vocal performance, and in fact my favorite thus far...but girl - get some standards.

5.) Thou Swell

It has to be addressed - that title, though.

It makes a lot more sense when you know that this is originally from A Connecticut Yankee, which takes place both in then-modern times...and King Arthur's court. It's like fanfiction, before fanfiction! 

And if that's the case, then the subject of the song is an OG Mary Sue - Thou Swell! Thou Witty! THOU GRAND! 

I Google Image searched "perfect" and this came up. The universe has spoken.

A fun song - nothing mind-bogglingly fantastic, but fun.

6.) Stairway to the Stars

Aaaand we're slowing things down again. We're first going to build a staircase to the stars, and then, oh yes, we are going to climb that staircase all the way to the stars. There'll be violins, there'll be a moon to guide us, it's going to be fabulous.

There are some subtle but present vocal gymnastics thrown in here and there in this track. Case in point: check out the vocal run around 3:05 or so. It's so understated you could easily miss it.

But hey, if this version doesn't do it for you, there's also the Jack Lemmon instrumental version.

I...I will leave you to write your own comment(s) here.

7.) Honeysuckle Rose

The first thing I thought about when I saw this song was on this album was the Marlene Dietrich version that is just filthy, because, well, Marlene Dietrich. 

Sehr über gut.

What's interesting is that Dietrich was not a singer by traditional standards, but she sells the attitude of it - "You're my sugar/it's so sweet when you stir it up."

Vaughan's is less overtly sexual and reads as more knowing and sassy, more fun. Gotta love that bassline - bumbumbumbumbum. 

That's one...cool cat.

8.) Just a Gigolo

So I never expected *this* of all songs to be on this album, let alone at this tempo and vibe.

I covered this song back in an old post on an album I loved by Louis Prima, but there it was a joyous, dare I say even raucous medley with the song "I Ain't Got Nobody." There, Louis Prima lamented the fact that he was so lonely since everyone typecast him as nothing more than a gigolo.

Here, though, Vaughan is chastising the subject for being a gigolo and breaking hearts - "What will they say about you/When the end comes, I know/They'll say 'just a gigolooooooo.'"

Heaven forbid anyone end up like this

Maybe it's because I associate the song so strongly with Louis Prima's version, but I found the song too mournful and sad for the lyrics. I mean, yeah, it'd be a bummer if everyone thought you were just a womanizer, but...is it funeral dirge-worthy? Maybe I am just too much of a player myself.

A selfie I took to prove my coolness

9.) How High the Moon

So this is another humorous moment when Sarah Vaughan riffs, and manages to actually fit in a playful dig at Ella Fitzgerald at the same time. Insert what is essentially two minutes of epic jazz scat.

I think the Scatman would have been proud
(If you don't know Scatman John, read about him right now)

10.) Dream

It's a pretty bare-bones song lyric-wise, but probably about 50% of it consists of the word "dream." I wonder what the message could be...

...but actually, I have some confusion about the message really is. It talks about how "things aren't as bad as they seem" so you should dream...and watch smoke rings in the air with your memories? 

I give up.

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

That's a straightforward title alright! But what an oddly depressing song. 'I'm feeling pretty lonely and bored...I know! I'll write a really intensely romantic love letter to myself, and pretend it's from . God, I have the best ideas.'

Smooth

There's, yes, a Sinatra version that I actually prefer not just because I love Sinatra (in case you couldn't tell already), but also because he sounds so young and earnest in a way that sells the track: in his case, it's not sad and pathetic, but youthful and naively earnest.

12.) It's Got to Be Love

"It couldn't be love/It couldn't be tonsilitis." So joyful and fun. She sounds like she's smiling the whole time she's singing. "I think that I'm dead/But nevertheless it's only loooooooove." 

Super short, but cute. 

13.) Alone

This song is over twice as long as "It's Got to Be Love," and to be honest, I felt all of it (in a bad way). She sings beautifully, that goes without saying at this point, but...the song is just so slooooow for me. It felt a bit like a lounge singer scene from a movie or something.

If only it were this.

Not going to lie, I completely spaced out during this song. #sorrynotsorry

14.) If This Isn't Love

Well, I guess you were saying that "It's Got to Be Love," so "If This Isn't Love," you best evaluate your assessments here.

It's interesting - some versions of this song feature backup singers for the lead-in, "A secret, a secret, she's got a secret." Clearly this is a pared-down live version, so Vaughan sings all the parts. It isn't bad at all, but it's a bit jarring to hear her sing all the parts. Still, she sings the verses themselves - "If this isn't love/My heart needs a plumber" - with so much delight that it more than makes up for it.

"We're ready for you, Ms. Vaughan."

15.) Embraceable You

A Gershwin! Hooray! I'm always biased towards a Gershwin composition, and this is no exception. Yes, it's slow, just like "Alone" was slow, but this doesn't have the same heaviness about it to me. The under 3-minute runtime doesn't hurt either.

Not gonna lie, though: it's hard to take the line "come to mama" seriously. In any song.

Ultimately, sorry, Sarah - this is still the definitive version:

Writing this blog continues to give me so much joy.

16.) Lucky in Love

"Please turn the microphone up." Ok guuuuuuurl, Sarah ain't playin'.

This would be me in her shoes.

If you make me yours, well then shoot, I'll be one lucky son-of-a-gun! Throw in some poker metaphors, and you got yourself a song.

17.) Dancing in the Dark

Sadly we still have a few decades before we get to this

God, never underestimate the power of a strong vibrato to make a song just feel sad. 

The song, another Great American Songbook classic, is essentially an extended metaphor about how life is essentially a dance in the dark until the music stops, so let's face the music together!

My personal favorite version of this song (but actually):

18.) Poor Butterfly

My methodology for making these posts is simple: I see "butterfly," I use "butterfly" gif. 

Wooooow, this song doesn't age well: "There's a story told of a little Japanese/Sitting demurely 'neath the cherry blossom trees." 

But wait - there's more! A "fine young American" comes by, "And he taught her how to love the American way." Phew, that was a close one! Good thing a real man is there to teach this dumbo about life.

...until duty calls, he's back on a ship, and he leaves her poor, weak, defenseless, and, let's be honest, useless and alone.

'Murica!

The song is based off the musical Madame Butterfly, so the subject matter makes sense, though wow, yeah, like I said, does noooot age well. 

Parts of it remind me of "China Girl" by David Bowie, which I'm sure we'll get to eventually, so I don't want to go too far into it now. Suffice to say that where Bowie's song is more of a cynical commentary on imperialism and Orientalism, this one cranks up the Orientalism to eleven. 

Lest we forget...

19.) Sometimes I'm Happy

"Sometimes I love you/Sometimes I hate you/But when I hate you/It's 'cause I love you." Mixed signals much?

I'm fairly sure this is the shortest song on the album, and it feels vaguely filler-y. Still fun!

20.) I Cover the Waterfront

The last song of the album! Her concluding comments before the song starts charm the pants off of me...assuming that I'm wearing pants. 

Hint: I'm not.

It's a beautiful song. "I cover the waterfront/In search of my love/And I'm covered by a starlit sky above." Super minimal, but highly evocative. No wonder it's been covered so many times by so many artists. 

This version in particular is a bit too drawn out for me (see this version by John Lee Hooker and Van Morrison that has a longer runtime, but goes by so much more quickly, in my opinion), but again, I can't help but be in awe of her voice. That last note, when her voice soars up so gently and wistfully...that's the stuff dreams are made of right there.

FINAL THOUGHTS:

I'm still ashamed that I had never heard of Sarah Vaughan before this, but that's precisely why I'm doing this series! While the arrangements and song choices aren't necessarily awe-inspiring, her voice is a marvel and a revelation. She and Ella Fitzgerald have more than a little in common vocally, but Sarah's voice has something more of rawness and emotion to me. While I might not come to revisit this album every single day, I definitely feel enriched for having heard it.

Personal standout tracks:
"Willow Weep for Me," "Be Anything" (her voice makes it), "How High the Moon," "It's Got to Be Love," "Embraceable You," "I Cover the Waterfront" (for that last note, if nothing else)