The follow-up to the essential
Carmen Sings Monk
is a tribute to the recently deceased
Sarah Vaughan
that ranks at the same very high level.
Carmen McRae
's final recording finds the singer backed by the
Shirley Horn Trio
(unfortunately,
Horn
turned down
McRae
's request to sing a bit) on 13 numbers associated with
Vaughn
, plus
Carroll Coates
' original
"Sarah."
On such songs as "
"Poor Butterfly,"
"Misty,"
"Tenderly,"
"I'll Be Seeing You,"
and even
"Send in the Clowns,"
brings back the spirit (and some of the phrasing) of
, while still sounding very much like herself. This very well-conceived tribute is a classic of its kind and a perfect swan song for
. [The 2003 reissue includes remastered sound, extensive liner notes and four bonus tracks. This treasure trove for
followers includes a version of
"Sarah"
with alternate lyrics, and three previously unreleased songs recorded at the
Sarah: Dedicated to You
sessions:
"If You Could See Me Now,"
"Embraceable You,"
and
"Wave"
.]~ Scott Yanow