On The Bookshelf
SASSY: THE LIFE OF SARAH VAUGHAN | LESLIE GOURSE
This is a vivid, intimate portrait of one of the most extraordinary voices in American music. In this definitive biography, acclaimed jazz chronicler Leslie Gourse brings to life the woman behind the legend— a vocal genius whose range, tone, and effortless improvisation changed the sound of jazz forever.
Born in Newark, New Jersey on March 27, 1924, Sarah Vaughan began her musical journey in the pews of Mount Zion Baptist Church, where she played organ and sang in the choir. By her early twenties, she was performing alongside jazz revolutionaries like Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Billy Eckstine—helping shape the very fabric of bebop and setting a new standard for vocal jazz.
A look behind the glamorous performances was a woman navigating a life as complex as her music: three turbulent marriages, financial upheavals, and a nightlife fueled by passion, excess, and resilience. Yet Vaughan remained grounded, driven by an unwavering dedication to her family and her art. Her voice is rich, operatic, and fearlessly expressive, defying genre boundaries, earning her acclaim in both jazz and pop and elevating her to the rare status of jazz’s only diva.
Gourse draws upon candid interviews with those who knew her best, revealing a fiercely talented, deeply human artist, unpretentious, hard-working, and ultimately triumphant.
Requisites
Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet ~ The Miles Davis Quintet | By Eddie Carter
In just two days in 1956, the Miles Davis Quintet recorded four remarkable albums, which are widely regarded as quintessential examples of hard bop and have endured as jazz classics over time. They fulfilled Davis’s contract with Prestige Records before moving to Columbia Records, his home for some of the most iconic music over the next thirty years. The albums are Cookin’ (1957), Workin’ (1959), Steamin’ (1961), and today’s focus, Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP-7129), released in 1958. Miles Davis is on muted trumpet (tracks: A1 to A3, B1, B2), and trumpet (B3), John Coltrane is on tenor sax, Red Garland is on piano, Paul Chambers is on bass, and Philly Joe Jones is on drums. My copy is no. 535 of the Craft Recordings Limited Edition mono reissue (Prestige CR 00227).
The first side opener, If I Were a Bell by Frank Loesser, became a jazz standard after Davis’s rendition on this album. Miles snaps his fingers to set the rhythm ahead of the quintet’s medium-paced melody. The muted trumpet’s ideas unfold in the opening statement. John demonstrates his signature fluidity next. Red takes an energetic solo ahead of the theme’s reprise and a subtle conclusion. After two brief false starts, You’re My Everything by Mort Dixon, Harry Warren, and Joe Young begins with the quintet’s tender introduction, ahead of Miles’s delicately heartfelt melody and opening solo highlighting his more sentimental side. John executes a graceful, intimate statement, supported by the trio’s rich foundation, leading to a thoughtfully reflective finale from Davis.
The pace picks up noticeably for I Could Write a Book by Richard Rodgers and Lorenz Hart. The trio gets things started, leading to the quintet’s collective medium-fast melody. Miles takes off first with brisk, vibrant notes that set the mood. John fills the air with pure joy next, and then Red’s reading is so full of energy before the leader takes the song out, which ends abruptly. Sonny Rollins’s Oleo opens the second side with two false starts and some lighthearted studio chatter, ahead of Davis’s introduction and the quintet’s lively theme with John completing the melody. Miles goes first, delivering a spirited statement, then John soars into an energetic turn. Red concludes with an upbeat reading while Paul and Philly propel each soloist to new heights before the group’s brisk finish.
Up next is It Could Happen To You by Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke. The ensemble adopts a relaxed midtempo vibe with Miles leading the theme. He then continues with a sweet-toned first solo. John follows with a compelling statement that’s as cool as the other side of the pillow. Red brings out the liveliness in a cheerful interpretation, engaging beautifully with Paul and Philly in the subdued climax. Woody ‘n’ You by Dizzy Gillespie begins with Red’s brief introduction preceding the opening ensemble. Miles commands the lead solo with fiery passion on the open horn, paving the way for John’s high-energy performance. Davis and Jones share the song’s final moments in the closing chorus, culminating in a gentle fade. A few final words from Miles brings the jazz standard to a close.
Bob Weinstock oversaw the original session, and Rudy Van Gelder was the recording engineer. For this audiophile reissue, Mark Piro and Mason Williams took charge of production, and Bernie Grundman mastered the album from the original tapes. The record is pressed on 180-gram vinyl, using Neotech’s VR900 vinyl compound, and manufactured using a one-step lacquer process. The sound quality of this reissue is truly exceptional, offering a beautifully balanced soundstage that’s ideal for demonstration on a good mid-fi or high-end audio system. This limited-edition box set is 5,000 copies, each individually numbered and presented in a foil-stamped, linen-wrapped slipcase featuring an acrylic inset of the original artwork. The record is protected by an archival-quality, anti-static, non-scratching inner sleeve.
One of the highlights of this reissue is the inclusion of studio snippets, such as false starts and Miles’s conversations with Rudy Van Gelder. These moments offer the listener a unique sense of connection to the studio sessions, making them part of the event. On mid-fi or high-end audio systems, the tonal balance across highs, midrange, and low frequencies truly shines in a stunning soundstage. Relaxin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet is an excellent album of standards, showcasing inspired performances by every member. It’s a superb choice for enjoying at any time of the day or evening. I highly recommend it for a spot in your library, and I urge you to pick up a copy before it sells out, because you ain’t gettin’ mine!
~ Cookin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP 7094), Steamin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP 7200), Workin’ With The Miles Davis Quintet (Prestige PRLP 7166) – Source: Discogs.com
~ Oleo, It Could Happen To You, Woody’n You – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ If I Were A Bell, You’re My Everything, I Could Write A Book – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,trumpet
On The Bookshelf
Jazz and Justice explores the rich, complex origins of jazz, the historical American art form born in the late 19th century, most likely in the brothels of Storyville in New Orleans, Louisiana from the cultural traditions of the newly emancipated African Americans. Rooted in the blues, a genre that gave voice to the pain, endurance, and aspirations of the oppressed Black communities under Jim Crow. Jazz emerged from the discarded instruments of post–Civil War military bands and quickly evolved into a profound cultural force.
In this revelatory work, historian and professor Gerald Horne examines the social, economic, and political dynamics that shaped jazz into a singular Black American contribution to global arts and culture. He chronicles the struggles musicians faced in a deeply segregated and exploitative society, contending with organized crime, white supremacist groups like the Ku Klux Klan, and the pervasive racism of American society and the entertainment industry.
Horne gives overdue recognition to the groundbreaking contributions of women artists, such as pianist Mary Lou Williams and trombonist Melba Liston, while also highlighting the influence of musicians with Native American heritage. Jazz and Justice is both an incisive historical investigation and a tribute to the resilience of an art form that gave voice to generations.
Jazz & Justice: 2019 | Gerald Horne
Monthly Review Press
Requisites
No More Brew ~ Brew Moore | By Eddie Carter
This morning’s album offered for your consideration is a live performance by Brew Moore. No More Brew (StoryvilleSLP-4019) was his final album, released eight years after his passing. Brew was born in Indianola, Mississippi and began playing the trombone at age twelve, later graduating to the clarinet and eventually the tenor saxophone. His professional journey took him from a Texas territorial band before attending college, to New Orleans, Memphis, and New York, to further his craft. He’s joined on stage by Lars Sjösten on piano, Sture Nordin on bass, and Fredrik Noren on drums. My copy is the 1981 U.S. Stereo release.
The set begins with Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke’s It Could Happen To You. Lars opens with a swinging introduction, setting up the quartet’s theme. Brew launches into a sizzling solo. Lars comes in energetically next. Sture illustrates he’s an effective soloist in a polished reading. Brew and Frednik exchange a brief dialogue, leading to the theme’s return and closure. Moore addresses the audience, then Sjösten’s introduction leads into the ensemble’s lively melody of Manny’s Tune by John Marabuto. Moore takes off first quickly. Sjösten responds with an impressive reading. Moore and Noren wrap things up with a concise conversation ahead of the closing chorus and abrupt finish.
Brew’s contribution to the set, No More Brew begins Side Two with the foursome’s joyful introduction and melody. Moore opens with energetically captivating phrases, then Lars’s vigorous reading flows through the rhythm section like ephemeral shadows. Brew and Fredrik fuel the finale with a concise comment preceding the theme’s return and a short announcement by Moore that concludes with Blue Monk by Thelonious Monk. The quartet begins with a soulful, blues-inspired melody that sets the stage for Moore to accelerate into an extended, captivating solo. Sjösten mines a rich vein of sentimentality next until the tempo slows again for the melody’s reprise and exit.
Rune Öfwerman produced the album, although it’s unknown who recorded it. However, the album’s sound quality is excellent, with a soundstage placing the listener in the club audience as the musicians are performing. Brew Moore, known for his irresistibly appealing tone that could either stir excitement or touch the heart, recorded twelve albums as a band leader and contributed to seven more as a sideman. Tragically, he passed away on August 19, 1973, at age forty-nine after a fatal fall down a flight of stairs. If you’re a fan of swing and bop and also enjoy the tenor sax, I highly recommend exploring No More Brew by Brew Moore on your next record store visit. This exceptional album showcases a talented young musician whose promising career was sadly cut short!
~ Blue Monk – Source: JazzStandards.com
~ It Could Happen To You – Source: Wikipedia.org
© 2025 by Edward Thomas Carter
More Posts: choice,classic,collectible,collector,history,instrumental,jazz,music,saxophone
On The Bookshelf
WAITING FOR DIZZY | GENE LEES
The story of jazz is a story of individuals–enormously gifted, dedicated, sometimes driven, yet often gentle people.
In this volume, Gene Lees, continues his richly entertaining and informative chronicle of the lives and times of jazz with a new collection of fourteen memorable essays drawn from his renowned Jazzletter. Waiting for Dizzy adds to the insights of his two previous collections, where the lyricist, essayist, and music historian draws on a lifetime of experience, and in many cases friendships in the jazz world to bring fresh insights to the lives and work of these magnificent artists, whether he is discussing why any guitarists have unsteady time or the complex role of race in jazz history.
The heart of Waiting for Dizzy is its exquisitely crafted character studies, warm pictures of the men and women who created and continue to create this music. Beginning in the era of its first great flowering, the 1920s, he weaves a story of discrimination against Black Americans to the tragic, determined, gifted guitarist Emily Remler who sought to break the sex barrier and her own drug habit, only to die all too young in a far-away place.
The stories continue through the final essay: a day spent in the recording studio with Dizzy Gillespie, surrounded by brilliant younger musicians who are his spiritual children, among them Art Farmer and Phil Woods. It is a lyrical, affectionate, and affecting portrait of one of the three or four most important figures–and the most loved– in jazz history.
Waiting For Dizzy: 1991 | Gene Lees
Oxford University Press