How Long Has This Been Going On? (Remastered)

Sassy had cemented her place in the jazz pantheon long before she landed on Norman Granz’s Pablo label in the late 1970s. Although fusion and electric jazz were the hot tickets of the time, Granz stuck to a simple philosophy at Pablo: mix and match a collection of mainstream jazz veterans and let them do their stuff with little intervention. Recorded in April of 1978, How Long Has This Been Going On? features a dream rhythm section of Oscar Peterson (piano), Joe Pass (guitar), Ray Brown (bass), and Louis Bellson (drums), and Vaughan seems inspired throughout. Her voice is huskier and fuller-bodied than it was during her 1950s heyday, but she’s lost none of her vocal dexterity or, more importantly, her dynamism. She leisurely lopes through “I’ve Got the World on a String” and “Teach Me Tonight” with joy and élan, while the title track is gently propelled by a Latin rhythm. On slower songs like “Easy Living,” she shows great warmth and tenderness. Each of the four accompanists has an impressive showcase on which he alone supports the singer. Even the most well-worn collection of 10 standards can still delight — when in the proper hands.