Count Basie & Sarah Vaughan Review by Scott Yanow

Although Count Basie gets top billing, he actually doesn't even appear on this set. Basie's Orchestra and pianist Kirk Stuart are purely in a supporting role behind the magnificent voice of Sarah Vaughan, other than a couple of short spots for trumpeter Joe Newman and Frank Foster's tenor. Sometimes Vaughan sounds overly mannered and seems to give little weight to the words she is singing, but her wide range and impeccable musicianship carry the day. Highlights include "Perdido," "Mean to Me," and "You Go to My Head," and the set is understandably recommended more for Sarah Vaughan fans than Count Basie collectors. [Some reissues add a pair of charming Vaughan duets with Joe Williams, "Teach Me Tonight" and "If I Were a Bell," that were originally released as a single, plus an alternate take of "Until I Met You."]

Count Basie / Sarah Vaughan – Count Basie / Sarah Vaughan

Label:

Roulette – SR 52061

Series:

Birdland Series

Format:

Vinyl, LP, Album

Country:

US

Released:

1961

Genre:

Jazz

Style:

Big Band

A1 Perdido

Written-By – Drake*, Lengsfelder*, Tizol*

2:09

A2 Lover Man (Oh Where Can You Be?)

Written-By – Davis*, Sherman*, Ramirez*

3:56

A3 I Cried For You

Written-By – Lyman*, Freed*, Arnheim*

2:52

A4 Alone

Written-By – Freed*, Brown*

3:47

A5 There Are Such Things

Written-By – Baer*, Meyer*, Adams*

3:07

A6 Mean To Me

Written-By – Ahlert*, Turk*

3:47

B1 The Gentleman Is A Dope

Written-By – Rodgers-Hammerstein*

2:41

B2 You Go To My Head

Written-By – Gillespie*, Coots*

4:50

B3 Until I Met You

Written-By – Wolf*, Green*

3:06

B4 You Turned The Tables On Me

Written-By – Alter*, Mitchell*

3:20

B5 Little Man (You've Had A Busy Day)

Written-By – Hoffman*, Wayne*, Sigler*

4:50

Bass – Edward F. Jones, Jr.*

Drums – Sonny Payne

Guitar – Freddie Green

Orchestra – Count Basie And His Orchestra*

Piano – Count Basie

Producer – Teddy Reig

Saxophone – Billy Mitchell, Chas. Baker Fowlkes*, Frank Foster, Frank Wess, Marshall Royal

Trombone – Albert T. Grey*, Benjamin Powell*, Henry Coker

Trumpet – George Cotten, Joe Newman, Eugene E. Young*, Thad Jones

Vocals – Sarah Vaughan

Matrix / Runout (Etching Side A): RSD-208A-1A

Matrix / Runout (Etching Side B): RSD-208B-1A

       GOLDMINE GRADING

MINT ---- It should appear to be perfect. No scuffs or scratches, blotches or stains, labels or writing, tears or splits. Mint means perfect.

NEAR MINT ---- Otherwise mint but has one or two tiny inconsequential flaws that do not affect play. Covers should be close to perfect with minor signs of wear or age just becoming evident: slight ring-wear, minor denting to a corner, or writing on the cover should all be noted properly.

VERY GOOD PLUS ---- The record has been handled and played infrequently or very carefully. Not too far from perfect. On a disc, there may be light paper scuffs from sliding in and out of a sleeve or the vinyl or some of the original luster may be lost. A slight scratch that did not affect play would be acceptably VG+ for most collectors.

VERY GOOD ---- Record displays visible signs of handling and playing, such as loss of vinyl luster, light surface scratches, groove wear and spindle trails. Some audible surface noise, but should not overwhelm the musical experience. Usually a cover is VG when one or two of these problems are evident: ring wear, seam splits, bent corners, loss of gloss, stains, etc.

GOOD ---- Well played with little luster and significant surface noise. Despite defects, record should still play all the way through without skipping. Several cover flaws will be apparent, but should not obliterate the artwork.

POOR ---- Any record or cover that does not qualify for the above "Good" grading should be seen as Poor. Several cover flaws.