At Mister Kelly's [Live]

Sarah Vaughan

Product Details

• Audio CD (December 3, 1991)
• Original Release Date: November 19, 1991
• Number of Discs: 1
• Format: Live
• Label: Polygram Records
• ASIN: B00000474O
• Also Available in: Audio Cassette  |  MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #126,935 in Music (See Bestsellers in Music)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com essential recording

After a rather shaky start (she can't find her key on "September in the Rain," knocks over a microphone stand, and stumbles on some lyrics during "Willow Weep for Me"), it doesn't take Sarah Vaughan long to overcome these glitches and deliver a nuanced, intimate performance on this live gig. Recorded in August 1957, this date features pianist Jimmy Jones, bassist Richard Davis, and drummer Roy Haynes. As should be expected, their solid performance is strictly accompaniment and, for the most part, unspectacular. The show, of course, belongs to Sassy. She swoops, soars, whispers, and belts it out. Her range is jaw dropping; her control and vibrato are simply beyond compare. And although Vaughan asks for her mic to be turned up throughout the performance, she is mixed up front and quite high in the recording--right where she deserves to be. --S. Duda

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

15 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars One for the ages., October 13, 2000

By	Samuel Chell (Kenosha,, WI United States) - See all my reviews (TOP 50 REVIEWER)    (REAL NAME)

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I seriously doubt that a better example of jazz singing can be located let alone purchased. Sarah's voice here is vibrant, young, fresh (In her later years it became noticeably lower, with the high register frequently taking on a forced, falsetto quality). There is little scat ("How High the Moon") but abundant improvisation (a re-invention of the melodies to "September in the Rain" and "Stairway to the Stars"). The set is not merely musically and technically impressive but affecting at a deep emotional level (her humming of a chorus of "Be Anything" epitomizes the warmth, sensitivity, utter sincerity of the entire performance). This is an inexhaustible treasure; I can't imagine living without it.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Master At Work, February 8, 2003

By	Donald Agarrat (Harlem, New York - USA) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

I never got to hear Sassy perform live, but two albums changed that: this one at Mister Kelly's in Chicago and "Sassy Swings The Tivoli" in Copenhagen, Denmark.

The biggest difference is that "At Mister Kelly's" features Sarah Vaughan with her trio of stellar musicians - no Quincy Jones. Her usual thang, just her and her fellas - and the synergy is fantastic and warm. The whole CD is great (half of the songs weren't even on the original album) and my favorites are "Stairway To The Stars", "Be Anything But Darling Be Mine", "Dancing In The Dark" and "Poor Butterfly" (it is wonderful when she replaces some of the lyrics with 'Thank You!'). In the liner notes, Lee Jeske says "that's the way she most liked to work, and that's the context in which she consistently did her finest singing." This CD makes that quite apparent.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars @ Mister Kelly's: Pure, Humane, Rich, July 28, 2000

By	vsf (USA) - See all my reviews

This delicious disc only reiterated to me that we don't really have singers anymore. Not these kind.

Even in the midst of slightly troublesome technical happenings, which I'm sure you've been informed of, she does all that makes her "Divine"ly "Sassy." Such a contradiction is she as she weaves tender ballads [Embraceable You, September in the Rain] and swings on tunes with a little grease [How High the Moon.] Never one to disappoint the listener, or even leave him fully composed, she doesn't hesistate to dip and dive, supported by her ample-octave range.

Truly at one of the best points, vocally and artistically in her career.