As I’ve continued working on a jazz solo project with Shades of Blue, I’ve gotten a better idea of the interests and musical preferences of my students. As such, I spent a while this morning playing Album Matchmaker.
For the last two weeks, I’ve been pushing them to listen to lots of versions of their chosen jazz standard, so they get a sense of what the definitive interpretational elements are.
This week, for each of them, I tried to select a beloved album that I knew well and that related to what they were exploring in their solo. If you’re coming at it from a big-voice bel canto training, maybe Tony Bennett/Bill Evans. If you are exploring ballad interpretation, it’s time for Shirley Horn.
Selecting albums for every student might be unscalable with larger ensembles, but with the typical size of vocal jazz groups, it’s totally doable. It’s easier than custom playlists, it’s more personal than assigned listening for the whole group (though that has its place, too), and it has the potential to help the students with their growth as jazz solo singers.