But there’s a lush tenderness in these songs. Holiday’s voice had changed and withered, the years of alcohol/drug addiction and abusive relationships doing their part on her mind and body. The last Billie Holiday album to be released in her lifetime, Lady In Satin (1958) got a mixed reception upon its initial release. They are a significant part of the musical canon and deserve the attention of all jazz fans. They’re playful and warm, technical yet loose. The best jazz singers are the ones who bring you into the song, using their interpretation and delivery to add weight and emotion. Thus vocal jazz songs can range between pop/musical standards and more experimental forms. Rhythmic variation plus the innovations of scat singing (wordless syllables) and vocalese (words are added to instrumentals) meant the voice can go toe-to-toe with even the best instrumental solo with improvisation in phrasing, rhythm and pitch. Words and lyrics add a structure but this is not necessarily limiting. It makes sense, then, that most vocal jazz will be framed in a more traditional song form. The focus of vocal jazz is obviously on the singer the voice is the instrument. The answer to the latter is a resounding “Yes!” How can we talk about jazz without talking about the great jazz singers like Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald? Jazz enthusiasts are about as varied as they come in terms of their preferences in jazz styles, favorite instruments, Miles Davis-era rankings, and, yes, whether vocal jazz is as good as instrumental jazz.
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