Recorded at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall, Tokyo, in September 1973, this twofer documents the inimitable Sarah Vaughan at the height of her very considerable powers. Put simply, this is an absolute must-have for any lovers of vocal jazz. From the whirlwind tour of ‘There Will Never Be Another You’ to the expansive seven minute-plus treatment of ‘Somewhere Over The Rainbow’, Vaughan gives a performance of riveting eloquence. There's a wordless version of ‘Willow Weep For Me’ – with Vaughan fessing up to forgetting the lyrics in her intro – and Vaughan demonstrates her fine pianism in ‘The Nearness Of You’ (early in her career she played piano in duet settings with Earl ‘Fatha’ Hines). Of all the recorded versions of ‘My Funny Valentine’, Vaughan's magisterial account on Live in Tokyo must surely take the palm. This superb recording signs off with a bonus track, the gorgeous Michel Legrand tune ‘The Summer Knows’, from the film Summer of '42.