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Sarah Vaughan

The Stars Shine: A Newport Jazz Festival Special

Ray Charles performs at The Newport Jazz Festival in 1968. Newport Festivals Foundation hide caption

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Newport Festivals Foundation

Jazz Night In America: The Radio Program

The Stars Shine: A Newport Jazz Festival Special

Jazz at Lincoln Center

Hear historic music from the Newport Jazz Festival, hand-picked by Christian McBride. Tune in to rare sets from Ray Charles, Cannonball Adderley, Sarah Vaughan, Duke Ellington and Louis Armstrong.

The Stars Shine: A Newport Jazz Festival Special

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Sarah Vaughan On Piano Jazz

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Raph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images

Marian McPartland's Piano Jazz

Sarah Vaughan On Piano Jazz

Sarah Vaughan possessed one of the legendary voices in jazz. In this program from 1986, Vaughan's lively and sassy personality is on display, as are her amazing vocals.

Sarah Vaughan In The Studio

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Songs We Love: Sarah Vaughan, 'Fascinating Rhythm'

Sarah Vaughan in 1963. Riccardo Schwamenthal/CTSIMAGES/Courtesy of Resonance Records hide caption

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Riccardo Schwamenthal/CTSIMAGES/Courtesy of Resonance Records

Songs We Love

Songs We Love: Sarah Vaughan, 'Fascinating Rhythm'

It's but a standard warhorse, plucked from a seemingly random live date in 1978. But once she initiates the finale sequence, you can only shake your head and smile.

Songs We Love: Sarah Vaughan, 'Fascinating Rhythm'

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Smokey Robinson: 'Every Night Those Songs Are New'

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Courtesy of the artist

All Songs Considered

Smokey Robinson: 'Every Night Those Songs Are New'

On this edition of All Songs Considered, the R&B singer shares some of the songs and events that shaped his career, along with cuts from his new album of duets, Smokey & Friends.

Smokey Robinson: 'Every Night Those Songs Are New'

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Opera Star Jessye Norman Picks Her Favorite Jazz Singers

In a conversation aired on WBGO, Jessye Norman credits the study of jazz with her understanding of song interpretation. Carol Friedman/Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Carol Friedman/Courtesy of the artist

A Blog Supreme

Opera Star Jessye Norman Picks Her Favorite Jazz Singers

WBGO

As a fledgling classical soprano in New York, Norman went to hear singers like Mabel Mercer perform. She tells WBGO's Rhonda Hamilton that her study of jazz vocalists influenced the way she interprets songs — including operatic arias.

Sarah Vaughan: A New Box Set Revels In Glorious Imperfections

Sarah Vaughan performs during the International Jazz Festival of Nice in southeast France in July 1984. Raph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Raph Gatti/AFP/Getty Images

Review

Music Reviews

Sarah Vaughan: A New Box Set Revels In Glorious Imperfections

Fresh Air

Divine: The Jazz Albums, 1954-1958 packs four CDs with Vaughan's music, recorded live or in the studio with bands big and small. Two live albums from Chicago nightclubs are standouts, partly when a performance threatens to slide off the rails.

Sarah Vaughan: A New Box Set Revels In Glorious Imperfections

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Piano Jazz Presents: The Music Of Marian McPartland

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Courtesy of the artist

Studio Sessions

Piano Jazz Presents: The Music Of Marian McPartland

Celebrate the host and composer with a set of select performances by McPartland and her guests.

Piano Jazz Presents: The Music Of Marian McPartland

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Tadd Dameron: Bebop Romanticist

Tadd Dameron composed a body of work that helped define and expand the parameters of bebop. William Gottlieb/Library of Congress via Flickr hide caption

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William Gottlieb/Library of Congress via Flickr

A Blog Supreme

Tadd Dameron: Bebop Romanticist

Jazz24

During the 1940s and '50s, Dameron focused his considerable compositional talents on the emerging jazz style called bebop. During a relatively brief period, Dameron composed a body of work that helped define and expand the parameters of this music.

Bobby Hutcherson: What Are You Listening To?

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Andrew Lepley

A Blog Supreme

Bobby Hutcherson: What Are You Listening To?

The vibraphonist, composer and NEA Jazz Master says that Sarah Vaughan's incredible range, precision and flexibility are very enjoyable to hear.

"Key Largo" from Sarah Vaughan, Sarah +2 (Capitol/Blue Note). Originally released 1962.

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Sarah Vaughan: Vocal Virtuosity

Sarah Vaughan, Jan. 22, 1960. Terry Disney/Central Press/Getty Images hide caption

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Terry Disney/Central Press/Getty Images

NPR's 'Jazz Profiles'

Sarah Vaughan: Vocal Virtuosity

Sarah Vaughan was affectionately known as both "Sassy" and "The Divine One," nicknames that reflect the extraordinarily wide range of expression she achieved in her singing.

Sarah Vaughan: Vocal Virtuosity

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Music News

Jazz Greats Return to Glory on DVD

Capturing seven of America's greatest jazz musicians at the height of their powers in Europe, the DVD collection Jazz Icons offers a fresh perspective on the likes of Duke Ellington, John Coltrane, Sarah Vaughan, Charles Mingus and Dave Brubeck.

Jazz Greats Return to Glory on DVD

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Valentine's Day

Just in Time for Valentine's Day: 'Jazz for Lovers'

Fantasy Records releases a new collection of classic recordings from the 1950s and 1960s, called Jazz for Lovers. Musician and critic David Was reviews the collection, and finds some nice surprises.

Just in Time for Valentine's Day: 'Jazz for Lovers'

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Review

Basic Jazz Record Library

Sarah Vaughan: 'After Hours'

Pulitzer Prize winner Gunther Schuller once called Sarah Vaughan the "greatest singer of the 20th Century." Her voice won a 1948 talent show at the Apollo Theater, launching a career that included singing with Dizzy Gillespie and Charlie Parker. This album captures Vaughan at her purest.

Sarah Vaughan: 'After Hours'

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