arrange • compose • conduct
Posts about vocal jazz.
Follow these two opposing instructions in sound checks. First, sing consistently like you’ll sing in concert. Don’t mark, because the sound person can’t get a reliable level if you’re marking. Second, don’t oversing. You’ll be singing a lot in a dress rehearsal/sound check, and you don’t want to overuse your […]
There are two types of vocal jazz ensemble. One (call it the Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross-type) uses group singing as a means to deliver improvisation, solo artistry, and essentially a vocal cover of instrumental jazz. It’s a jazz combo, but voices. The other (call it The Singers Unlimited-type) uses group […]
It’s my end-of-school-year tradition to publish the repertoire my ensemble sang over the year. With my fifth (!) year at GRCC in the books, here are the pieces Shades of Blue learned and performed. Shades of Blue had five singers in the fall semester and eleven singers in the winter. […]
This recording is a five minute masterclass in jazz singing. It is such a wonderful demonstration of space, swing, collaboration, listening, and mastery. Listen to the way that Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong interact with each other and their rhythm section to create something really special. Listen especially to the […]
A lot of my jobs involve me saying some version of this sentence. “End sustained notes with shadow vowels.” Yes, that’s usually true…but not in this moment/piece/style. “Keep your feet firmly planted.” Yes, that’s usually true…but not in jazz. “Look to the conductor for the sense of the beat.” Yes, […]
The vocal harmony world missed an important golden anniversary last year, and today is a perfect day to make up for it. Just over fifty years ago, in 1971, The Singers Unlimited released their first record, In Tune – a collaboration with the Oscar Peterson Trio. They would go on […]
Changing the quality of the beat can go a long way to helping choirs switch genres. Transitioning between traditional choral and more contemporary pop genres can stymie choirs, and one of the challenges is a difference in the quality of rhythm. I tend to think of rhythm in even the […]
Mark Murphy was born March 14, 1932 – making today his 90th birthday. Across a wide career of creative and innovative recordings, he pushed the edges of what it meant to be a jazz singer, incorporating a much more contemporary approach to phrasing, musicianship, improvisation, and repertoire. He also incorporated […]
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 […]
The tone used in vocal jazz is generally lighter. (I use “lighter” advisedly: the tone is not “breathy,” “thin,” or “unsupported.”) It’s one of the most misunderstood aspects of the style, and something that is constantly under scrutiny by vocalists and educators not conversant in the style. Why is vocal […]