The liner note writer uses the word "masterpiece" and he is not wrong to do so. Sarah Vaughan rarely sang better than she does here, and her version of "Embraceable You" is a lesson in jazz invention. Sarah Vaughan's complete works for Mercury filled up 23 CDs. The bit on this CD is undoubtedly the cream of the set. There is a good selection of numbers, including superb versions of "April In Paris" and "September Song", and there doesn't seem to be a single moment when the music drops below the inspired level. Vaughan was accompanied by a disparate group of horn players--trumpeter Clifford Brown, flautist Herbie Mann and tenor saxist Paul Quinichette. Brown's genius just dazzles and Mann and Quinichette lifted their game to a level that they never reached again. The rhythm section of Jimmy Jones, Joe Benjamin and Roy Haynes was Vaughan's normal trio of the times. Inspired? Faultless? A masterpiece? I think so. Oh, and in case you were wondering, it's beautifully recorded, too. --Steve Voce