Dick Vaughan

Sarah Vaughan's Viva! Vaughan is a curious blend of jazz and pop with Latin percussion, with arrangements by ex-Basie sideman Frank Foster, recorded in the midst of the mid-'60s bossa nova craze. Vaughan is in great voice throughout the date and the material is generally first-rate, except for the bland "Night Song." Although the back of the CD hypes a "full-scale" orchestra, it is an unusual blend with seven trombones, flute, violins, piano, bass, and drums, plus Latin percussion, but no trumpets or saxophones. Foster's best arrangements omit the string section, including a swinging take of Henry Mancini's "Mr. Lucky," a wild if brief "Avalon," a campy "Tea for Two," and Foster's own "Shiny Stockings." Unfortunately, the bossa nova selections ("The Boy From Ipanema" and "Quiet Nights") are burdened with pedestrian string arrangements that date the music as much as the generally uninspired Latin percussion. It's likely that this lack of focus confused the record-buying public as to what type of music this was and caused it to be overlooked. The brevity of the tracks and the lack of solo opportunities for the strong supporting cast (which includes Kai Winding, Jerome Richardson, Barry Galbraith, George Duvivier, among others) make it seem like receiving airplay was a major goal of this release. However, the golden voice of Sarah Vaughan is this CD reissue's most dominant factor, and it is worth acquiring. ~ Ken Dryden, All Music Guide

In late 1963, California's King of the Surf Guitar left the shore for the strip and created one of the classic albums of the hot-rod music genre. Dick Dale's Checkered Flag is heavy with white-hot Dale instrumentals ("Night Rider," "Ho-Dad Machine") and vocal car tunes from the pens of pop's songwriters (Gary Usher, Gary Paxton, Carol Connors). Helping Dale stir up the nitro fuel are L.A. session stars Plas Johnson, Steve Douglas, Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer. Checkered Flag is tough stuff, an unyielding trophy-run down the asphalt aisle. Make way!

In the half-century since he began his reign as King of the Surf Guitar, Dick Dale has remained one of rock’s most innovative and influential axemen. A bold pioneer in the use of speed, volume and sonic texture, the charismatic Dale invented surf music, and in the process permanently altered the role of the electric guitar in rock ’n’ roll. Of all the surf guitarists who would follow in Dale’s wake, none could match his prodigious technique, his fierce showmanship or his restless inventiveness…

In late 1963, California's King of the Surf Guitar left the shore for the strip and created one of the classic albums of the hot-rod music genre. Dick Dale's Checkered Flag is heavy with white-hot Dale instrumentals ("Night Rider," "Ho-Dad Machine") and vocal car tunes from the pens of pop's songwriters (Gary Usher, Gary Paxton, Carol Connors). Helping Dale stir up the nitro fuel are L.A. session stars Plas Johnson, Steve Douglas, Hal Blaine and Earl Palmer. Checkered Flag is tough stuff, an unyielding trophy-run down the asphalt aisle. Make way!

In the half-century since he began his reign as King of the Surf Guitar, Dick Dale has remained one of rock’s most innovative and influential axemen. A bold pioneer in the use of speed, volume and sonic texture, the charismatic Dale invented surf music, and in the process permanently altered the role of the electric guitar in rock ’n’ roll. Of all the surf guitarists who would follow in Dale’s wake, none could match his prodigious technique, his fierce showmanship or his restless inventiveness…

In the wake of the sometimes uneven live album In the Moment, Diane Reeves returns in exceptional form with a concept album, The Calling: Celebrating Sarah Vaughan. A tribute to one of jazz's legendary heroines, The Calling catches the many moods of the singer who became known simply as Sassy, delving into songs the jazz great popularized, including "Lullaby of Birdland" and "Send in the Clowns." On "Lullaby," Reeves summons Sassy's ghost with familiar phrasing and a majestic, powerful delivery. But it is on the lesser-known Vaughan numbers that Reeves really excels, making the standards her own. "Obsession" was recorded by Vaughan on her final album, 1987's Brazilian Romance. Reeves explores the emotional vehicle like an eagle, soaring grandly over surging orchestral accompaniment.

The resulting 2 box set, unlike any other available today, groups together the main vocalists in the story of jazz from the first half of the 20th century. Each of these 20 CDs offers in more or less the same proportion, the purest of African-American song with gospel and blues singers, from truculent Ma Rainey to majestic Bessie Smith, sophisticated Sarah Vaughan to popular Louis Prima, the folk-related tones of Charlie Patton to the honeyed voice of Frank Sinatra.