leon thomas is one of my favorites. all of his Flying Dutchman albums are great, as are everything he recorded with pharoah sanders. there are some dud songs (the bad calypso track) and the Full Circle album is kinda weak.
pharoh has a few albums w/vocals but w/o leon that are great "Village of the Pharoahs" with Seditarius Brown and "Wisdom Through Music". both beautiful Impulse albums
Max Roach has done wonderful things with vocals. his wife Abbey Lincoln sang on a few beautiful albums, "Freedom Now Suite" is wonderful. and he's done a bunch of stuff with jazz choruses. they're arranged so strangely. check out "It's Time" and "Lift Every Voice and Sing" (the second one is more gospel mixed with jazz).
Very similar to the Roach album "It's time" with weirdly arranged chorus is Bobby Hutcherson's "Now". one of my all time favorite albums. Eugene McDaniels is featured singer. the album almost sounds like a musical or something, but it's firmly rooted in a dark jazz sound.
another great jazz singer is Andy Bey. he's appeared on Roach's "Members, Don't Git Weary" and on solo albums.
Don Cherry sings occasionally, and his Codona (COllin walcott, DOn cherry, and NAna vasconcelos) albums are a wonderful mix of vocals, jazz and world music.
two more husband wife jazz player/singers are Michal Urbaniak and his wife Urszula Dudziak (fusion-y) and Doug Carn and his wife Jean (soulful, funky jazz)
and last but not least is Patty Waters who recorded an album for ESP on recomendation of Albert Ayler. the first half is smokey bar room ballads, and the second half is freaked out fucked up free jazz where her vocals compare to Yoko Ono and Linda Sharrock
― JasonD, Wednesday, 23 October 2002 19:18 (twenty-one years ago) link
― g (graysonlane), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 19:20 (twenty-one years ago) link
― g (graysonlane), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 19:26 (twenty-one years ago) link
What a voice.
― Jody Beth Rosen (Jody Beth Rosen), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 19:28 (twenty-one years ago) link
Having recently gotten the reissue of Falling in Love is Wonderful from Rhino, all I can say is that the man is a national treasure.
― Ned Raggett (Ned), Wednesday, 23 October 2002 19:46 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Andrew L (Andrew L), Thursday, 24 October 2002 05:23 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Julio Desouza (jdesouza), Thursday, 24 October 2002 08:13 (twenty-one years ago) link
And Billie Holiday is magnificent too, and Bessie Smith and Nina Simone and Louis Armstrong and if we count him (and I don't) very much Frank Sinatra. I'm less keen on Ella Fitzgerald or Sarah Vaughan - I like them both, and they are technically magnificent, but I can't quite fall in love. I have quite a few of their records, and keep expecting to fall for them any day.
― Martin Skidmore (Martin Skidmore), Thursday, 24 October 2002 21:16 (twenty-one years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Saturday, 26 April 2003 01:54 (twenty years ago) link
― Al Andalous, Saturday, 2 August 2003 02:11 (twenty years ago) link
― gabbneb (gabbneb), Saturday, 2 August 2003 02:27 (twenty years ago) link
My problem with vocal jazz has always been that it has this smooth tone to it that I never could get into; but then, I only really heard the superpopular stuff.
Howeever, there's a song on that Abbey Lincoln album that's co-written by Billie Holiday, that has one of the loveliest melodies I*ve ever heard, which leads me to believe that I need to give ol' Holiday a proper chance one of these days.
Meanwhile, Roach's Freedom Now Suite was, as I'm sure for many others, my introduction to Lincoln. Her phrasing, and the power and grit she has really hit the spot for me.
Then, of course, there's Leon Thomas' singing with Pharoah Sanders, which is quite the wonder in its own right.
― Øystein Holm-Olsen (Øystein H-O), Saturday, 2 August 2003 02:33 (twenty years ago) link
1. there were significant periods when jazz singing was a central style of pop singing. Mr McGraw from 2001 may be OTM when he suggested that Armstrong is the most influential singer of the 20th century, because along with Bing Crosby and one other (forget who and the book I left at work...), according to Giddens, he invented pop singing as we know it (or knew it before rock and roll - but rock owes more to Crosby that anyone lets on anyway - Elvis knew this).
2. Armstrong's improv genius was both vocal and on trumpet. Scat was vocal improv, and Armstrong took it form a regional fad to the mainstream.
3. Armstrong could turn really hokey stuff into art. I've heard this myself on the set I bought - really corny lyrics are made expressive (and funny - his singing has tons of comedy in it).
Also, it is clear to me that Ella and Billie were actually popular pop singers. Just because (non-hip hop) pop now boils down to either post James Brown funk backing soulful teen groups or earnest young singer-songwriters does not mean that Jazz wasn't once pop.
A-and, listen to Songs for Swinging Lovers and tell me that Sinatra isn't a jazz singer!
― plebian plebs (plebian), Saturday, 2 August 2003 06:20 (twenty years ago) link
― V (1411), Sunday, 3 August 2003 14:09 (twenty years ago) link
― Rockist Scientist, Friday, 26 December 2003 00:43 (twenty years ago) link
― amateur!st (amateurist), Friday, 26 December 2003 00:54 (twenty years ago) link
i really like sarah vaughan as well. she has the same sensitivity as the best instrumentalists. there is a version somewhere of "they cant take that away from me" where she sings the word "key" in the line "the way you sing off key" off key and its fucking brilliant.
― Aaron Grossman (aajjgg), Friday, 26 December 2003 03:52 (twenty years ago) link
I think I need to start checking out jazz magazines. I don't like most of the genre, but what else is there currently? Obviously that will seem like an outrageous question, but fundamentally that's how I feel. Outside of some foreign things, there's not too much new music for my to get excited about beyond some avant-garde jazz and accessible experimental music.
(I've been forgetting to use my new e-mail address.)
― Rockist Scientist, Monday, 7 June 2004 12:43 (nineteen years ago) link
Lambert, Hendricks and Ross might deserve mention, too.
― christoff (christoff), Tuesday, 8 June 2004 19:21 (nineteen years ago) link
― LaRue (rockist_scientist), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 16:08 (nineteen years ago) link
Anyway, anyone interested ought to pick up Teagarden's "Mis'ry and the Blues," from the early '60s...mellow, good-natured stuff.
― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 22:56 (nineteen years ago) link
Annette Peacock - My Mama Never Taught Me How To CookArchie Shepp - Attica Blues Archie Shepp - The Cry of My PeopleCarla Bley - Escalator Over The HillDonald Byrd - A New PerspectiveEddie Gale - Black Rhythm Happening Eddie Gale - Ghetto Music
― JaXoN (JasonD), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:12 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:16 (nineteen years ago) link
― JaXoN (JasonD), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:24 (nineteen years ago) link
― Jordan (Jordan), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:27 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:31 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ken L (Ken L), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:36 (nineteen years ago) link
Ernie Andrews is another great one who doesn't get talked about much.
Betty Carter's Feed the Fire, from '93 with DeJohnette, Holland and Geri Allen, was a fine disc, doesn't sound over "mannered" at all.
― Stormy Davis (diamond), Tuesday, 30 November 2004 23:41 (nineteen years ago) link
― don, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 03:07 (nineteen years ago) link
AP sings in a gruff bluesy tone over sorta out, blues rock jams. at times she reminds me of Linda Sharrock (especially on the fusiony Paradise album). she also does a bunch of sing/talk stuff and has often been compared to Patti Smith (even though it's the other way around as she like to point out in her hillarious liner notes - she's an egomaniac, but almost has a right to believe the stuff she belives). she was the first person to sing through a Moog keyboard, and some of that stuff is just WILD. the other closest comparison i have is that Escalator Over the Hill album. both very, very of their 70s times
― JaXoN (JasonD), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 03:29 (nineteen years ago) link
― youn, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 03:43 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 03:43 (nineteen years ago) link
I bought an EP of hers from the early 50s at an antique shop a few years back, found out it was worth a nice chunk of change and sold it, but I recall a really pretty version of "Fools Rush In" that I'd like to hear again.
― jsk baby (jsk baby), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 03:47 (nineteen years ago) link
― Ken L (Ken L), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 03:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― don, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 03:57 (nineteen years ago) link
― tremendoid (tremendoid), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 04:16 (nineteen years ago) link
xpost
― Dr Benway (dr benway), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 04:19 (nineteen years ago) link
― briania (briania), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 04:22 (nineteen years ago) link
― JaXoN (JasonD), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 05:09 (nineteen years ago) link
― don, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 07:23 (nineteen years ago) link
― eddie hurt (ddduncan), Wednesday, 1 December 2004 16:17 (nineteen years ago) link
― don, Wednesday, 1 December 2004 18:56 (nineteen years ago) link
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Sunday, 13 March 2005 08:46 (nineteen years ago) link
― todd (todd), Sunday, 13 March 2005 15:50 (nineteen years ago) link
― Rickey Wright (Rrrickey), Thursday, 7 April 2005 08:01 (nineteen years ago) link
Heard Billie Holiday and Dakota Staton songs on the radio today. Just gorgeous.
― curmudgeon, Monday, 7 January 2008 04:27 (sixteen years ago) link
http://www.divaville.org
I used to DJ at her old station, and it was always cool to watch her shift begin, as she brought in crates and crates of vocal jazz.
― bendy, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 15:53 (sixteen years ago) link
David Raposa, et al.,
Why hasn't anyone defended Peggy Lee in the time intervening David's comment at the top of this thread and now? Haven't you heard Black Coffee?
― bamcquern, Wednesday, 9 April 2008 21:40 (sixteen years ago) link
Somebody said something bad about Peggy Lee upthread?
― James Redd and the Blecchs, Thursday, 10 April 2008 01:01 (sixteen years ago) link
Also wow that Nicole Zuraitis got a Grammy nomination. She always seems really nice when I’ve crossed her path but I haven’t listened to any of her recordings.
― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 14:46 (five months ago) link
Sonica, that is the project I have seen her in, with Thana Alexa and Julia Adamy.
― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 14:50 (five months ago) link
From 2011, but just recently heard for first time: a really distinctive presentation of "Weightless," title track of album by the Becca Stevens Band (she's recently done something w Jacob Collier):https://beccastevensband.bandcamp.com/album/weightless
― dow, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 18:43 (five months ago) link
a video, even:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qk_qfA9YIxg
― dow, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 18:45 (five months ago) link
Singer I was talking about was Marty Elkins.
― Shifty Henry’s Swing Club (James Redd and the Blecchs), Tuesday, 14 November 2023 19:01 (five months ago) link
X post - Have not heard Nicole Zuraitis , Grammy nominee, yet either
― curmudgeon, Tuesday, 14 November 2023 19:36 (five months ago) link
https://hullworks.net/jazzpoll/23/totals-vocal.php
2023 Totals: Vocal JazzCritics were asked to name one album apiece, with no point system.
Cécile McLorin Salvant, Mélusine (Nonesuch) 27Jo Lawry, Acrobats (Whirlwind) 11Gretchen Parlato & Lionel Loueke, Lean In (Edition) 10Fred Hersch & Esperanza Spalding, Alive at the Village Vanguard (Palmetto) 9Arooj Aftab-Vijay Iyer-Shahzad Ismaily, Love in Exile (Verve) 5Matana Roberts, Coin Coin Chapter Five: In the Garden (Constellation) 4Fay Victor, Blackity Black Black Is Beautiful (Northern Spy) 4Kurt Elling & Charlie Hunter, SuperBlue: The Iridescent Spree (Edition) 3Irreversible Entanglements, Protect Your Light (Impulse!) 3John Pizzarelli, Stage & Screen (Palmetto) 3Michael Bisio & Timothy Hill, Inside Voice/Outside Voice (Origin) 2Samara Joy, Linger Awhile (Verve '22) 2Karina Kozhevnikova & Krugly Band, Polyphonic Circle (Leo) 2Astghik Martirosyan, Distance (Astghik Music) 2Joshua Redman, Where Are We (Blue Note) 2Säje, Säje (Säjevoices) 2Sara Serpa & André Matos, Night Birds (Robalo Music) 2Luciana Souza & Trio Corrente, Cometa (Sunnyside) 2Susanna, Baudelaire & Orchestra (SusannaSonata) 2Libby York, Dreamland (OA2) 2
― curmudgeon, Thursday, 4 January 2024 06:34 (three months ago) link