The album has been re-released on CD and LP many times, with its original nine set track listing and with an additional track. In 2005, the album was reissued under the title Complete Recordings with Clifford Brown by Lone Hill Records with 18 tracks.
Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown was overwhelmingly a critical success. In Bebop: The Best Musicians and Recordings, jazz commentator Scott Yanow notes simply of the album that "[e]verything works", making of it an "essential acquisition". Ink Blot Magazine, characterizing this as one of Vaughan's "jazziest" albums, describes it also as one of her greatest. In its review, All Music states that "Vaughan is arguably in the best voice of her career here" and praises Brown for "displaying his incredible bop virtuosity", indicating that "in whichever incarnation it's reissued, Sarah Vaughan With Clifford Brown is one of the most important jazz-meets-vocal sessions ever recorded". The Blackwell Guide to Recorded Jazz, also praising Brown's "brilliant" trumpeting, delves into Vaughan's vocal stylings in detail, encouraging listeners of the album to note how "sometimes she stretches out a song so deliberately and so reconfigures its melody, that the lyrics lose sense, linguistic phrasing having been replaced by musical phrasing". Blackwell author Barry Dean Kernfeld opines that "it is perhaps this pure devotion to the exploration of sound that has made her such a favourite of jazz listeners". In Jazz: A Critic's Guide to the 100 Most Important Recordings, New York Times jazz commentator Ben Ratliff placed the album as among Vaughan's best, indicating that the recording session seemed among those blessed sessions where "even middle-level musicians can sound like gods".
Personnel
* Joe Benjamin – bass
* Clifford Brown – trumpet
* Roy Haynes – drums, snare drum
* Jimmy Jones – piano
* Herbie Mann – flute
* Paul Quinichette – sax (tenor)
* Sarah Vaughan – vocals
* Ernie Wilkins – conductor
April In Paris
Sarah Vaughan & Clifford Brown Lyrics
Jump to: Overall Meaning ↴ Line by Line Meaning ↴
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
Holiday tables under the trees
April in Paris, this is a feeling
I never knew the charm of spring
I never met it face to face
I never knew my heart could sing
I never missed a warm embrace
Till April in Paris
Whom can I run to?
What have you done to my heart?
The lyrics of Sarah Vaughan and Clifford Brown's "April in Paris" depict a sense of discovery and wonderment towards the arrival of spring. The first stanza conveys a lack of experience with the season and its joys: the singer has never encountered the charm of spring nor felt the need for warmth until they experienced the beauty of April in Paris. The repetition of the lines gives a sense of yearning for something missing until it is found.
The second stanza delves into the sensory experience of the French capital in spring. The imagery of chestnuts blossoming and the use of the word "holiday" creates a sense of leisure and enchantment. The mention of "this feeling" that can never be replicated makes the experience feel unique and special. The final line of the second stanza, “That no one can ever reprise,” underscores this notion of something that cannot be replicated, that is special and unforgettable.
Line by Line Meaning
I never knew the charm of spring
Prior to my experience in Paris this April, I had not previously experienced the true wonder and appeal of springtime.
I never met it face to face
I had not ever directly encountered or experienced the true essence and essence of spring until now.
I never knew my heart could sing
Prior to visiting Paris in April, I did not possess the capability of expressing audible joy and happiness from the depths of my soul.
I never missed a warm embrace
Before experiencing the warmth of Paris in spring, I had never felt longing or desire for the comfort of a kind, affectionate gesture from another person.
Till April in Paris, chestnuts in blossom
The moment I arrived in Paris during the season of spring, the blooming chestnut trees captured my attention and filled me with amazement, anticipation, and excitement.
Holiday tables under the trees
I observed many outdoor gatherings, parties, and celebrations taking place beneath the blossoming trees, which added to the sense of joy and festivity that seemed to permeate the city.
April in Paris, this is a feeling
My encounter with this city in spring constitutes a unique impression and emotion that cannot be replicated, faked, or replaced.
That no one can ever reprise
My memories, experiences, and feelings associated with Paris in spring are completely one-of-a-kind and can be neither repeated or imitated.
Till April in Paris
My appreciation for the season of spring, love for the city of Paris, and desire to repeat this unforgettable experience all came together only during this specific trip.
Whom can I run to?
Following my amazing experience in Paris this spring, I am filled with excitement and enthusiasm to share my stories and experience with others, but as they cannot comprehend the experience, there is no one I can find who could sincerely empathize on the level I desire.
What have you done to my heart?
I am overwhelmed with the impact of Paris in spring on my emotional state and sense of well-being, unable to bear the sudden wave of emotion flooding over me.
Lyrics © Warner/Chappell Music, Inc., Universal Music Publishing Group, SHAPIRO BERNSTEIN & CO. INC.
Written by: E. Y. HARBURG, VERNON DUKE
Lyrics Licensed & Provided by LyricFind
Kevin Wilmore
A recurring sublime melody that brings me to tears. Especially when I've had a few. Then here comes Clifford.
njcrossroads
5:00 Listen how she sings "reprise...I never knew the charm of Spring" all in one beautifully controlled breath. Amazing!
Sally Bowles
To be honest Doris Day does the same, and others too, so maybe in the original version it said to do it like this. Of course this version is number one
Henry Tozer
This is the version that made me fall in love with this song... I've just recorded it myself and released it on my own YouTube Channel here... I come nowhere close to Sarah (or the greats of the time), but I'm doing my bit to try to bring this beautiful music - a time when music had grace and sincerity - to new generations. I'd love you to listen and let me know what you think.
Michael
One of the gems of music, Sarah.... the amtosphere on this piece is pure art
Thomas Lombardo
One of the many gems she recorded with Clifford Brown. . Glorious from beginning to end.
Donald Penegar
One of the best. Vocalist of all time Beautiful track Love sassy
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Donald Fedosiuk
Amazing how the beginning of Clifford's solo so eerily replicates the sound of a human voice!
Jack Gedzelman
An enormously talented performer. Her singing was all soul and simply unforgetable
Jack
I'm here because of Ishiguro's book. I'm so glad i checked this song. So beautiful