Sarah Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan (1924–1990) was an American jazz singer and pianist known for her rich contralto timbre, wide vocal range, and inventive interpretations of standards.

Earl Hines: An American jazz pianist and bandleader whose rhythmically inventive style influenced generations of musicians. Vaughan joined his orchestra in 1943, gaining an early professional platform.
Lullaby of Birdland: A 1952 jazz composition by George Shearing that became a widely performed standard. Vaughan’s recording demonstrates her agile phrasing and command of rapid melodic turns.
Vocal range: The span from the lowest to the highest pitches a voice can produce or use musically. Vaughan’s unusually broad range let her move between registers without losing expressive control.
Newark: The largest city in New Jersey and a major cultural and industrial center near New York City. Vaughan was born and raised in Newark, where she studied piano and sang in church.
Jazz vocal improvisation: The spontaneous creation or reshaping of melodies by a singer within a jazz performance. Vaughan expanded expectations for how a singer could improvise with instrumental freedom.
Billy Eckstine: An American jazz singer and bandleader who led a pioneering big band in the 1940s. She sang in Eckstine’s band, where bebop musicians and vocalists worked side by side.
Misty: A 1954 jazz ballad composed by pianist Erroll Garner and later given lyrics by Johnny Burke. Her interpretation became one of the signature vocal versions of Garner’s song.
Vocal register: A region of vocal pitch produced with a characteristic coordination of the vocal mechanism. Her seamless movement across registers helped make her wide range sound unified.
Apollo Theater: A Harlem theater renowned for its role in African American music and entertainment. Winning its amateur contest in 1942 helped launch Vaughan’s professional singing career.
Carmen McRae: An American jazz singer and pianist known for nuanced phrasing and sophisticated interpretations of standards. McRae belongs to the generation of jazz vocalists whose artistry is often discussed alongside Vaughan’s.

Linked from 4 pages

Amy WinehouseRelated: Winehouse cited Vaughan among the jazz singers who shaped her musical ear.