“When I am a good host, I can order the world precisely as I believe it ought to be. It is a world that I have created in my mind and in my own image, and it gladdens me profoundly to see it unfold without original sin, without expulsions and floods and disobedience and illness. When I am a good guest, I have returned to Eden, where everything I need is provided for me, including companionship and a benevolent deity at my shoulder serving me and protecting me. The concept of paradise may be backward-looking but the concept of heaven is anticipatory. Perhaps this is what heaven will be like? A great table of oak worn smooth with age and candle wax; a dimly lit room, a quartet of angels playing Sarah Vaughan in the corner; this blissful throb of quiet, intelligent conversation; bubbling pots and aromatic stews that no one seems to have worked to prepare; and you - you have nothing to worry about, not now, not here, not for all eternity. Leave it all behind at the threshold, forget everything, for here in heaven, you are my guest. ”
―
Jesse Browner
“And she, having forgotten, felt ashamed, for he was chivalry itself once she stopped behaving as if he was to be feared,” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“It is hardwired into us that we should placate and mollify: bend our will to that of men.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Most crimes centre around dishonesty, violence and lust:” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Early mornings were given over to Bartok and Schoenberg. Midmorning I treated myself to the vocals of Billy Eckstine, Billie Holiday, Nat Cole, Louis Jordan and Bull Moose Jackson. A piroshki from the Russian delicatessen next door was lunch and then the giants of bebop flipped through the air. Charlie Parker and Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan and Al Haig and Howard McGhee. Blues belonged to late afternoons and the singers’ lyrics of lost love spoke to my solitude.” ― Maya Angelou, Singin' & Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
“But the truth is, women are often scared of antagonizing their assailants or they feel conflicted; not so very long ago they may have been charmed by them . And we women aim to please. It is hardwired into us that we should placate and mollify — bend our will to that of men. Oh, some of us have fought against that , and we’re seen as hard-nosed, difficult , assertive , sheepish. We pay the penalty. Why don’t I have a proper, live-in partner? It’s not just because I’m unsure if I can trust anyone sufficiently. It’s because I refuse to compromise . I refuse to woman up, you might say.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Bad luck or lack of acumen doesn’t seem to dog the rich quite as assiduous as the poor.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“The truth is a tricky issue. Rightly or wrongly, adversarial advocacy is not really an inquiry into the truth. Advocacy is about being more persuasive than your opponent. You can win, even if the evidence is stacked against you, provided that you argue better. And it’s all about winning, of course. - Justin Carew” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“She need never feel apologetic about wanting to read a book—or be herself—again.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Everyone loves her shit on Atlantic, and no doubt they’re classics, but when I heard her sing ‘Skylark,’ I told Esther Phillips, my running buddy back then, ‘That girl pissed all over that song.’ It came at a time when we were all looking to cross over by singing standards. I had ‘Sunday Kind of Love’ and ‘Trust in Me,’ and Sam Cooke was doing ‘Tennessee Waltz’ and ‘When I Fall in Love’ at the Copa. We were all trying to be so middle class. It was the beginning of the bougie black thing. I truly believe Aretha had a head start on us since she was the daughter of a rich preacher and grew up bougie. But, hell, the reasons don’t matter. She took ‘Skylark’ to a whole ’nother place. When she goes back and sings the chorus the second time and jumps an octave—I mean, she’s screaming—I had to scratch my head and ask myself, How the fuck did that bitch do that? I remember running into Sarah Vaughan, who always intimidated me. Sarah said, ‘Have you heard of this Aretha Franklin girl?’ I said, ‘You heard her do “Skylark,” didn’t you?’ Sarah said, ‘Yes, I did, and I’m never singing that song again.” ― David Ritz, Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin
“rankles.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“It was hard not to be seduced by it all. The designer trouser suit elongated my legs,” ― Sarah Vaughan, Reputation
“Sometimes we got nasty-silly. There was the legendary night when chocolate-brown Tadd Dameron walked through the Plantation Club drinking out of the ornate wine glasses that decorated the club’s tables, with Charlie “Bird” Parker following behind, smashing the filigreed drinking glasses to “protect” white patrons from drinking out of the vessels that Dameron had “contaminated.” Bird loudly declared, “Get yo’self a jelly jar! Don’t contaminate the white folks’ wetter water.” I loved Tadd for writing “If You Could See Me Now,” for Sarah Vaughan, but I loved him more for putting his beautiful lips on those ugly Plantation Club glasses.” ― Alice Randall, Black Bottom Saints: A Novel
“she was the shyest thing I’ve ever met. Would hardly look me in the eye. Didn’t say more than two words. I mean, this bitch gave bashful a new meaning. Anyway, I didn’t give her any advice because she didn’t ask for any, but I knew goddamn well that, no matter how good she was—and she was absolutely wonderful—she’d have to make up her mind whether she wanted to be Della Reese, Dinah Washington, or Sarah Vaughan. I also had a feeling she wouldn’t have minded being Leslie Uggams or Diahann Carroll. I remember thinking that if she didn’t figure out who she was—and quick—she was gonna get lost in the weeds of the music biz. And I can testify that those weeds are awfully fuckin’ dense.” ― David Ritz, Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin
“but the image persists of those preening, entitled young men. I see their smooth, smiling faces now: the faces of men who will sail through life: Eton, Oxford, parliament, government.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Vaughan is still out there. And now free.” Rowan crossed his arms. “He’ll never be caught again.” ― Sarah J. Maas, Kingdom of Ash
“home.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Reputation
“And she, having forgotten, felt ashamed, for he was chivalry itself once she stopped behaving as if he was to be feared,” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“It is hardwired into us that we should placate and mollify: bend our will to that of men.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Most crimes centre around dishonesty, violence and lust:” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Early mornings were given over to Bartok and Schoenberg. Midmorning I treated myself to the vocals of Billy Eckstine, Billie Holiday, Nat Cole, Louis Jordan and Bull Moose Jackson. A piroshki from the Russian delicatessen next door was lunch and then the giants of bebop flipped through the air. Charlie Parker and Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, Sarah Vaughan and Al Haig and Howard McGhee. Blues belonged to late afternoons and the singers’ lyrics of lost love spoke to my solitude.” ― Maya Angelou, Singin' & Swingin' and Gettin' Merry Like Christmas
“But the truth is, women are often scared of antagonizing their assailants or they feel conflicted; not so very long ago they may have been charmed by them . And we women aim to please. It is hardwired into us that we should placate and mollify — bend our will to that of men. Oh, some of us have fought against that , and we’re seen as hard-nosed, difficult , assertive , sheepish. We pay the penalty. Why don’t I have a proper, live-in partner? It’s not just because I’m unsure if I can trust anyone sufficiently. It’s because I refuse to compromise . I refuse to woman up, you might say.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Bad luck or lack of acumen doesn’t seem to dog the rich quite as assiduous as the poor.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“The truth is a tricky issue. Rightly or wrongly, adversarial advocacy is not really an inquiry into the truth. Advocacy is about being more persuasive than your opponent. You can win, even if the evidence is stacked against you, provided that you argue better. And it’s all about winning, of course. - Justin Carew” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“She need never feel apologetic about wanting to read a book—or be herself—again.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Everyone loves her shit on Atlantic, and no doubt they’re classics, but when I heard her sing ‘Skylark,’ I told Esther Phillips, my running buddy back then, ‘That girl pissed all over that song.’ It came at a time when we were all looking to cross over by singing standards. I had ‘Sunday Kind of Love’ and ‘Trust in Me,’ and Sam Cooke was doing ‘Tennessee Waltz’ and ‘When I Fall in Love’ at the Copa. We were all trying to be so middle class. It was the beginning of the bougie black thing. I truly believe Aretha had a head start on us since she was the daughter of a rich preacher and grew up bougie. But, hell, the reasons don’t matter. She took ‘Skylark’ to a whole ’nother place. When she goes back and sings the chorus the second time and jumps an octave—I mean, she’s screaming—I had to scratch my head and ask myself, How the fuck did that bitch do that? I remember running into Sarah Vaughan, who always intimidated me. Sarah said, ‘Have you heard of this Aretha Franklin girl?’ I said, ‘You heard her do “Skylark,” didn’t you?’ Sarah said, ‘Yes, I did, and I’m never singing that song again.” ― David Ritz, Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin
“rankles.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“It was hard not to be seduced by it all. The designer trouser suit elongated my legs,” ― Sarah Vaughan, Reputation
“Sometimes we got nasty-silly. There was the legendary night when chocolate-brown Tadd Dameron walked through the Plantation Club drinking out of the ornate wine glasses that decorated the club’s tables, with Charlie “Bird” Parker following behind, smashing the filigreed drinking glasses to “protect” white patrons from drinking out of the vessels that Dameron had “contaminated.” Bird loudly declared, “Get yo’self a jelly jar! Don’t contaminate the white folks’ wetter water.” I loved Tadd for writing “If You Could See Me Now,” for Sarah Vaughan, but I loved him more for putting his beautiful lips on those ugly Plantation Club glasses.” ― Alice Randall, Black Bottom Saints: A Novel
“she was the shyest thing I’ve ever met. Would hardly look me in the eye. Didn’t say more than two words. I mean, this bitch gave bashful a new meaning. Anyway, I didn’t give her any advice because she didn’t ask for any, but I knew goddamn well that, no matter how good she was—and she was absolutely wonderful—she’d have to make up her mind whether she wanted to be Della Reese, Dinah Washington, or Sarah Vaughan. I also had a feeling she wouldn’t have minded being Leslie Uggams or Diahann Carroll. I remember thinking that if she didn’t figure out who she was—and quick—she was gonna get lost in the weeds of the music biz. And I can testify that those weeds are awfully fuckin’ dense.” ― David Ritz, Respect: The Life of Aretha Franklin
“but the image persists of those preening, entitled young men. I see their smooth, smiling faces now: the faces of men who will sail through life: Eton, Oxford, parliament, government.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Anatomy of a Scandal
“Vaughan is still out there. And now free.” Rowan crossed his arms. “He’ll never be caught again.” ― Sarah J. Maas, Kingdom of Ash
“home.” ― Sarah Vaughan, Reputation
