Jazz buffs might know that 2024 is the centenary of the birth of “the Divine One” – SARAH VAUGHAN.
One jazzer who knows the significance of the date is acclaimed UK jazz stylist ZARA McFARLANE. Ms McFarlane has often spoken of her passion for “Sassy” and how her impeccable stylings have been a big influence on the own music. Thus it was something of a no brainer for Zara to put together a tribute LP to one of her heroines and the 11 tracker that is ‘Sweet Whispers’ has just won release.
The album was heralded by the release, as a single , of a cover of Marvin Gaye’s ‘Inner City Blues’. Odd? Well no… Ms Vaughan recorded the song for her comeback album, 1972’s ‘A Time In My Life’. All but one of the remaining 10 songs come from equally significant periods in the icon’s life. So, here there’s imaginative takes on things like ‘The Mystery Of Man’ which first appeared on Vaughan’s 1984 album, ‘The Planet Is Alive…Let it Live’, ‘Mean to Me’ (Zara’s favourite Sarah Vaughan song) which first appeared on her 1950 debut, ‘If You Could See Me Now’ (the 1946 jazz standard composed by the great pianist Tadd Dameron especially for Sarah) and ‘Obsession’ taken from Vaughan’s last studio album, 1987’s ‘Brazilian Romance’. Zara’s version features steel pans providing a nod to Zara’s Caribbean roots.
The album boasts one original song – the title track. This ‘Sweet Whispers’ is a short, hymn-like ballad inspired by quotations from Sarah Vaughan which were uncovered by Zara during her research for the album. She describes the song as “sonic love letter to my inspirational jazz pioneer.”
The album has been produced by Giacomo Smith who also plays clarinet and saxphone on the set. The other musicians are Joe Webb on piano, Ferg Ireland on double bass, Jas Kayser on drums, Marlon Hibbert on Steel Pan and Gabriella Swallow on cello. The music was recorded live to tape; with minimal overdubs and the album’s out now!
