Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan (Eternal Source of Light Records)
Zara McFarlane
Released June 14, 2024
Jazzwise 20 Best New Jazz Albums of 2024
YouTube:
https://music.youtube.com/playlist?list=OLAK5uy_k-Z2RgKNZUrXcYu9GGG02EYblNo9F_rq4
Spotify:
About:
Multi-award-winning singer-songwriter and leading UK jazz vocalist Zara McFarlane releases Sweet Whispers – Celebrating Sarah Vaughan on 14th June. The album honours the jazz great who inspired her on her own artistic journey and whose centenary year is marked in 2024.
‘Sweet Whispers’ is more than a run-through of some of Vaughan’s most popular songs. It’s not hard to imagine the immense task in selecting those songs, after all, Vaughan’s recording career spanned 50 years notching up almost 60 albums (plus nearly 30 again in compilations and box sets). Through a thoughtfully chosen selection of songs, formed across months in collaboration with producer, and the album’s clarinettist and saxman, Giacomo Smith – Zara journeys through the musical life of Sarah Vaughan, from her first to last recording, bringing to life and breathing new life into some of her best and less familiar songs. But importantly, the songs that mean the most to Zara.
Zara McFarlane said “It was when I started to listen to Sarah Vaughan that I really began to appreciate jazz vocals. She had such control across her range and a vocal command that was cheeky, playful and fun yet sophisticated and articulate. I really wanted to pay homage to her as I feel she has been somewhat overlooked amongst the jazz singers. Although I do love Ella and Billie, it’s all about Sarah for me.”
‘Sweet Whispers – Celebrating Sarah Vaughan’ was recorded analogue at Durham Studios, London. Giacomo assembled a stellar cast of musicians – Joe Webb on piano, Ferg Ireland on double bass, Jas Kayser on drums, Marlon Hibbert on Steel Pan and Gabriella Swallow on cello – to record 11 tracks live to tape; with minimal overdubs, the recording has retained a live, vintage feel.
A celebration of Sarah Vaughan could be in no better hands than that of Zara McFarlane, who makes an inspired homage to the ‘Divine One’. Beautifully performed in Zara’s own inimitable style, with her own playful swoops and slides, she has added her own touch to the music. With a silken voice and timbre that brings emotional depth, attitude and personality to this collection of Sarah Vaughan songs, this is a masterful celebration.
Track Listing:
1. Tenderly (Jack Lawrence / Walter Gross) 5:48
2. Mean To Me (Roy Turk / Fred E. Ahlert) 3:46
3. Inner City Blues (Marvin Gaye / James Nyx Jr.) 4:39
4. September Song (Maxwell Anderson / Kurt Weill) 3:17
5. Great Day (Billy Rose / Edward Eliscu / Vincent Youmans) 2:35
6. If You Could See Me Now (Carl Sigman / Tadd Dameron) 5:40
7. Interlude (Raymond Leveen / Dizzy Gillespie) 3:42
8. Obsession (Dori Caymmi, Tracy Mann / Gilson Peranzzetta) 4:10
9. The Mystery of Man (Gene Lees / Francy Boland) 3:12
10. Stardust (Mitchell Parish /Hoagy Carmichael) 4:29
11. Sweet Whispers (Zara McFarlane) 2:33
Personnel:
Zara McFarlane: vocals, backing vocals (9),
Giacomo Smith: soprano saxophone (1), clarinet (5), alto saxophone (7), backing vocals (9), bass clarinet (9)
Joe Webb: piano
Ferg Ireland: double bass
Jas Kayser: drums
Marlon Hibbert: Steel Pan (8)
Gabriella Swallow: cello (4, 11)
Recorded at Durham Sound Studios, by Lewis Durham
Executive-Producers: Steve Abbott ans Zara McFarlane
Produced and Mixed: Giacomo Smith
Mastered by Lewis Durham
Design: Tristan Manco
Photographer: Kareem Abdul
Review:
In the world of vocal jazz, few names command as much reverence as Sarah Vaughan. Known as the ‘Divine One’, Vaughan’s incomparable artistry and pioneering spirit have inspired generations of singers, including the multi-award-winning singer-songwriter, Zara McFarlane. To celebrate the centenary of Vaughan’s birth, McFarlane pays tribute to her musical muse with Sweet Whispers: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan, a captivating album that breathes new life into some of the timeless songs that defined Vaughan’s illustrious career.
From a swinging ‘Tenderly’, Vaughan’s first solo hit, to the sublime tenderness of ‘September Song’ (from the classic 1955 album Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown), McFarlane’s silken timbre and emotional depth shines new light on this beloved repertoire.
McFarlane’s self-proclaimed favourite Vaughan song, ‘Mean to Me’, is imbued with soulful expression, while the breakneck pace of ‘Great Day’ showcases her impeccable time feel. There’s also a superb interpretation of ‘Obsession’ from Vaughan’s final studio album, Brazilian Romance. McFarlane’s sonic love letter extends beyond Vaughan’s celebrated discography – the album’s title track, the touching and hymn-like ballad ‘Sweet Whispers’, is an original composition inspired by Vaughan’s own words. Elsewhere, McFarlane’s passionate vocal sweeps and soars on ‘The Mystery of Man’, brilliantly arranged by Giacomo Smith.
An inspired and lovingly crafted homage.
Peter Quinn (Jazzwise)
