Search - Sarah Vaughan & the Michel Legrand Orchestra :: Sarah Vaughan with Michel Legrand

Exceptional musical meeting

Marc Drost | Den Haag, Netherlands | 09/24/2003

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sarah is at her best, and so is Michel. The year of recording is 1966, wich I consider Sarah's peak. Michel Legrand's songs and his arrangements are beyond jazz, very french, a bit impressionist. Sarah is giving each song a very special musical treatment. The singing is very emotional and charged. She sings the M & A Bergman lyrics with great feeling, depth and insight. A must for every Sarah Vaughan and every Michal Legrand fan! I have collected and compared a lot of Michel Legrand vocal CDs, and this one is still one of my favorites. His recording with Kiri is also very good, but she is not too experienced in pop-style singing. There is also a good one by Johnny Mathis, but that one lacks a bit of variety. All in all, Sarah & Michel are a very special team. Quotes from the liner notes:
" This man", said Sarah as we listened [to the playback], "is really teaching me! I gotta go out and buy some books". "What you do, Sassy", someone interrupted, "can't be learned in books".
'The first take, as I recall, was"The Summer Knows". Sarah sang her heart out, and I got swept up in the music too. We finished the song and I glanced around the studio and nearly all of the musicians had tears streaming down their faces, they were so moved' (Michel Legrand, who conducted the entire recording)"

AN EXTRAORDINARY MASTERPIECE~BRAVO SARAH & MICHEL!!!

Bradly Briggs | TOLUCA LAKE, CALIFORNIA | 03/21/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Sarch Vaughan possessed one of the most stunning and magical voices ever and when a voice of this incredible scope and magnitude is showcased in its prime by an eighty-plus studio orchestra and large choir conducted by the legendary Michel Legrand then musically speaking this is as good as it gets...opening with a haunting "The Summer Knows", it is clear that this is going to be a listening experience beyond compare with Sarah both vocally and emotionally in magnificent form and these incomparble performances are all definitive versions of each and every great song! A hypnotic "What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?" is deeply moving and the romantic "Once You've Been In Love" incredibly gorgeous while the popular standard "(Brian's Song) The Hands Of Time" is breathtakingly beautiful and this wonderous version must have thrilled the composer! Sarah Vaughan and Michel Legrand appeared in concert in the mid-seventies at The Dorothy Chandler in Los Angeles with an orchestra that filled the large stage and treated a sold-out audience to one of the most glorious and magnificent concerts that I have ever experienced...Sarah's voice soared to incredible heights and wove enchantment through lush orchestrations that were tremendous...this brilliant collection which was recorded in the early seventies is the only thing remaining of this classic paring and is well worth its weight in gold!!!! Sarah was truly a gifted and extraordinary singer who lucky for me played Los Angeles throughout the seventies and eighties and these concerts were always memorable events. Anyone who loves to experience the greatest in vocal artists this amazing collection is a must have...thank you Sassy for years of brilliant artisty and we miss you!!!"

Stylist Vaughan in her Best with Legrand Material. A Must!

Carlos from Rio | Rio de Janeiro, RJ Brazil | 11/22/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"
Many singers have recorded Michel Legrand's songbook and nearly all with Michel Legrand's arrangements. You could say Mr. Legrand is tres creative to make things sound different but sometimes these covers really sound bureaucratic!



However, Sarah Vaughan is the difference here. And it seems Mr. Legrand perceived it so that his arrangements flew to specially imaginative space. A wonderful trip with Ms. Vaughan in total command of emotion combined with master technique.



Program opens with 'The Summer Knows' and Legrand wrote that he had never seen musicians cry right after recording. I tell you I also did when I first listened to it.



This CD repertoire covers all material recorded by Vaughan & Legrand what includes a sensational rendition of 'Wave'(Antonio Carlos Jobim).



So, basic repertoire is obvious Legrand material. Were you to choose one among the so-many obvious Legrand songbooks by singers, this is the one!





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