Sarah Vaughan - After Hours (2019) [DSD256 / Hi-Res]

From 1961-1962, Sarah Vaughan recorded two albums while accompanied by just guitar and bass. Her 1962 outing for the obscure Reactivation label (with guitarist Barney Kessel and bassist Joe Comfort) is hard to find, as is her earlier set with guitarist Mundell Lowe and bassist George Duvivier. Surprisingly, Lowe only has one solo, so the emphasis throughout is exclusively on Vaughan's magnificent voice. The program mostly sticks to ballads, with a couple of exceptions (most notably "Great Day"), and is a quiet and intimate affair, with Vaughan more subtle than she sometimes was. Despite a lightweight version of "My Favorite Things" that will not remind listeners of John Coltrane, this is an excellent if brief set (34-and-a-half minutes) with some fine jazz singing. ~ Scott Yanow