arrange • compose • conduct
Posts about vocal jazz.
I’ve said more than once that the world needed a proper history of The Real Book. And Adam Neely did a great job with his video about the handmade viral sheet music collection of the 1970s. But never did I imagine something made with the loving care that Roman Mars […]
One of the most poignant songs I know, “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” is a meditation on lost love penned in 1955 by Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf. The title is a loose reference to T.S. Eliot’s “April is the cruelest month.” For me, one year on, […]
I have long loved Steve Zegree’s beautiful setting of the Gershwins’ “Love Walked In.” It’s a study in suspension-resolution, it reaches beautiful jazz harmony while retaining excellent voice leading, and it brilliantly teaches expressive singing. I selected it for GRCC Shades of Blue this fall, because while a cappella ballads […]
For singers brought up in a “classical” mindset, the first chance to interpret in a jazz idiom can be disconcerting. Do I need to sing the exact rhythms on the lead sheet? Why are there chords in parentheses at the end? (Either it’s part of the piece or it isn’t, […]
By all rights, I should be introducing the Michigan All-State Jazz Choir right about now, and then standing in the back as they tear up the stage singing tight chords with skill and passion. Of course that’s not the case: the Michigan Music Conference is virtual, and all of the […]
I made a list today of reliable jazz singers for my students. By reliable, I mean that when they interpret a song, their interpretation is going to be helpful in understanding the bulls-eye of the song. Consistently. I omitted singers who are inconsistent in their output or whose recorded output […]
Jazz singing is an oral tradition. You need to listen to multiple recordings as you begin to prepare a song, for one big reason. It’s this: the interpretation of the song has evolved away from the original sheet music and into something living. Only by listening to multiple recordings can […]
Wishing you a day filled with music. Including this, which for me exemplifies Christmasy music. Gene’s writing is complex, original, beautiful, and always compelling. But more than that, in this case, is the heartfelt delivery of this piece. You feel it when they sing it. Right down to the spoken […]
What is the best Christmas album and why is it Ella Wishes You A Swinging Christmas? It has the perfect selection of classic American Christmas songs. Ella sings flawlessly. (It’s my favorite period of her recording – around the same time she was recording the Songbook series, her classic Ella […]
My family is wishing you peace and connection this holiday season. We made this little music video together just for you! Wishing you all a Happy Holidays! We’ve built a lot of skills this year in our house – singing, juggling, audio & video engineering. And we decided to put […]