Great Women Singers of the 20th Century.(Great Women Singers of the 20th Century, 4 vols.)(Video recording review)

Great Women Singers of the 20th Century. 4 vols. DVD. Sarah Vaughan (D2998); Nancy Wilson (D2984); Abbey Lincoln (D2989); Chaka Khan (D2999). West Long Branch, NJ: Kultur International Films, 2005. $19.99 each.

The Great Women Singers of the 20th Century collection presents a wide variety of representative artists from the vocal jazz tradition. These are not volumed installations, but the selection of vocalists does offer an interesting sampling of performers with very different orientations. Although it is not stated as such in the liner notes, by juxtaposing the more traditional styles of Sarah Vaughan and Abbey Lincoln with the pop-influenced approaches of Nancy Wilson and Chaka Khan, the underlying theme of this collection appears to be one of how diverse jazz singing has been over the years. Each video captures a live performance of the featured artist in a concert setting or club date. With the exception of the Sarah Vaughan footage shot in 1985, all performances were filmed in the early 1990s.

The most remarkable portion of this collection is indubitably the concert performance of Sarah Vaughan in Stamford, Connecticut. For the novice and well-versed jazz fan alike, this glimpse into the extraordinary artistry of Vaughan is a lesson in vocal jazz history. Given the moniker, "The Divine One," the late Sarah Vaughan took jazz singing to a whole new level. Her performance here only solidifies that claim. Of particular note, is Vaughan's rendition of the ballad, "Just to Say Goodbye," and the vocal gymnastics she displays on "Misty," when she indulges in male and female roleplay. During a romping 12-bar blues closing the encore for the evening, Vaughan flashes some incredible scatting technique and even engages the audience with some call and response activity.

Although not as memorable as Vaughan's performance, the contents of the other videos also have noteworthy highlights. Originally filmed for A & E's Biography television program, the Nancy Wilson footage from Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. was never released prior to this collection. A veteran performer of great renown, Wilson's repertoire ranges from jazz standards to the jazz-oriented adaptation of popular tunes. Of the latter variety she performs an ...