Sarah Vaughan’s Sassy on Mono 180g LP. Mastered by Ryan K. Smith at Sterling Sound from the Original Analog Tapes, Pressed at QRP and Packaged in a Stoughton Printing Gatefold Old-Style Tip-On Jacket.

The power, range, and flexibility of her voice made Sarah Vaughan, known as “Sassy” or “The Divine One,” one of the great singers in jazz. With her rich, controlled tone and vibrato, she could create astounding performances on jazz standards, often adding bop-oriented phrasing.

She was a multiple Grammy Award winner, including a “Lifetime Achievement Award.” The National Endowment for the Arts bestowed upon her its “highest honor in jazz, ” the NEA Jazz Masters Award, in 1989.

On Sassy, which she recorded with Hal Mooney and his orchestra, Vaughan offers full solid “Tubey Magic” sound — plus all-analog recordng and mastering — without which you have almost nothing. Vaughan’s brilliant 1956 album for the Emarcy label captures a solid, palpable, real Sarah Vaughan singing seemly live in your listening room.

Arrangements here are by Mooney, and Vaughan takes an approach that showcases how she earned her acclaimed nickname, the same as the album title. She gives an engaging rendition of a number of standards on this set. Titles include “Lush Life,” “Only You Can Say,” “The Boy Next Door” and “I’m the Girl.”

Seeking to offer definitive audiophile grade versions of some of the most historic and best jazz records ever recorded, Verve’s vinyl reissue series utilizes the skills of top mastering engineers and the unsurpassed production craft of Quality Record Pressings. All titles are mastered from the original analog tapes, pressed on 180-gram vinyl and packaged by Stoughton Printing Co. in high-quality gatefold sleeves with tip-on jackets.