Swingin' Easy

Swingin' Easy is a 1957 studio album by the American jazz singer Sarah Vaughan.

Swingin' Easy
Studio album by Sarah Vaughan
Released	1957
Recorded	April 2, 1954, February 14, 1957
Genre	Vocal jazz
Length	35:26
Label	EmArcy 36109
Producer	Jack Tracy
Sarah Vaughan chronology
Sassy (1956) Swingin' Easy (1957) Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine Sing the Best of Irving Berlin (1957)

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
AllMusic	[1]
The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings	[2]

On the second chorus of "All of Me" Vaughan bops in "a quite extraordinary fashion, covering more than two octaves" (from the sleeve notes). "Pennies from Heaven" is taken slower than is usual and Vaughan creates a brand new melody the second time around, a kind of descant improvising on the original tune.

Eight of the tracks, recorded on April 2, 1954, with John Malachi on piano and Joe Benjamin on bass, were originally released that year on a 10-inch LP entitled Images.

Critical reception

The initial Billboard review from November 1957 said the album was a "commentary on Miss Vaughan's high level of professionalism and ease in jazz environment. Relaxed quality is keynote here as the singer makes the difficult sound easy."^[3] The Billboard review highlighted "Words Can't Describe", which noted that it was given an "especially cogent reading".^[3] Mentioning “Shulie a Bop”, “Lover Man”, and “Linger Awhile” as particular highlights, The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings says that, backed by only a rhythm section, “Vaughan is at her freest and most good-humoured.”^[2]

Track listing

1. "Shulie a Bop" (George Treadwell, Sarah Vaughan) – 2:42
2. "Lover Man (Oh, Where Can You Be?)" (Jimmy Davis, Ram Ramirez, Jimmy Sherman) – 3:19
3. "I Cried for You" (Gus Arnheim, Arthur Freed, Abe Lyman) – 1:42
4. "Polka Dots and Moonbeams" (Johnny Burke, Jimmy Van Heusen) – 2:36
5. "All of Me" (Gerald Marks, Seymour Simons) – 3:18
6. "Words Can't Describe" (Bill Tennyson) – 4:35
7. "Prelude to a Kiss" (Duke Ellington, Irving Gordon, Irving Mills) – 2:48
8. "You Hit the Spot" (Mack Gordon, Harry Revel) – 3:03
9. "Pennies from Heaven" (Johnny Burke, Arthur Johnston) – 3:07
10. "If I Knew Then (What I Know Now)" (Eddie Howard, Dick Jurgens) – 2:33
11. "Body and Soul" (Frank Eyton, Johnny Green, Edward Heyman, Robert Sour) – 3:15
12. "They Can't Take That Away from Me" (George Gershwin, Ira Gershwin) – 2:44
13. "Linger Awhile" (Harry Owens, Vincent Rose) – 1:00 (Bonus track not on the original LP.)

Personnel

Recorded April, 1954 and February, 1957, in New York City, United States:

• Sarah Vaughan – vocals
• Jimmy Jones – piano, tracks 3, 5, 6, 9, and 13
• John Malachi – piano, tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12
• Richard Davis – double bass, tracks 3, 5, 6, 9, and 13
• Joe Benjamin – double bass, tracks 1, 2, 4, 7, 8, 10, 11, and 12
• Roy Haynes – drums

References

1. AllMusic review
2. Cook, Richard; Morton, Brian (2008). The Penguin Guide to Jazz Recordings (9th ed.). Penguin. p. 1443-1444. ISBN 978-0-141-03401-0.
3. "Jazz Albums". Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc. 25 November 1957. pp. 40–. ISSN 0006-2510.