Sarah Vaughan: Swing Era

Disregard the title, not to mention most of the hype on the back of the box. The majority of the 21 clips seen here are not from the Swing Era at all; the timeframe ranges from the ‘20s to the ‘50s, and even some of the music that was recorded during the height of swing in the ‘40s is in fact straight blues. And while Sarah Vaughan was indeed one of the greats, to say that her five clips (in black & white and color) show her “at the peak of her form” is baloney: these early-to-mid-‘50s performances, made when Vaughan was in her twenties, are tame renditions of pop standards; only “You're Not the Kind” and “Perdido” even hint at the “sassy lassie” Vaughan would later become, when her command of the jazz vocal idiom was unmatched by all except Ella Fitzgerald. Fortunately, much of the rest of the material on this disc is pretty cool, including delightful extended clips of Lena Horne (“Boogie Woogie Dream,” with master pianists Pete Johnson and Albert Ammons) and the great blues singer Bessie Smith (the amazing “St. Louis Blues,” from 1929, has been seen in many documentaries, but rarely in its 15-minute entirety), as well as tunes by the likes of Mamie Smith, Ida Cox, and Ethel Waters (all from the ‘40s, with Waters backed by the Count Basie band), with sound and visuals ranging from adequate to execrable. The final nine clips feature the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, an all-female big band fronted by vocalist Anna Mae Winburn; though they were often labeled a novelty band, the Sweethearts could play and swing with the best of ‘em. Final verdict: there's enough good stuff here to make this a strong optional purchase. Aud: P. (S. Graham)