The owner of a truly magnificent voice, Sarah Vaughan (1924-1990) ranked with Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday as one of the very best female jazz singers of the past century. With her wide range, vibrato controlled to perfection and facility of expression, she was a versatile vocalist who could sing almost anything she wanted. A very popular artist, Sarah Vaughan waxed jazz performances, commercial recordings with string orchestras plus big-band dates that fell in between jazz and mainstream pop music. As a jazz singer, she was one of the first vocalists to incorporate fully bop phrasing into her singing, as her splendid performances with jazzmen as diverse as Lester Young, Miles Davis, Duke Ellington or Clifford Brown eloquently proved.

Besides compiling different clips showcasing the great Sarah Vaughan at the peak of her form, this video is completed with additional clips featuring Lena Horne Bessie Smith (singing her superb Saint Louis Blues from 1929), Marrie Smith, Ida Cox, Ethel Waters and the International Sweethearts of Rhythm, the legendary all-female orchestra from the swing era.

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