How The Audience Figures In

For a performer, what’s the difference between a vocal jazz performance and a traditional choral one?

I told Shades of Blue today in rehearsal that there’s a mindset shift between singing vocal jazz and singing traditional choral music.

To me, many choral concerts feel like this: We are making music in this space. The audience is here to witness it.

On the other hand, a vocal jazz performance (as well as many other adjacent musical genres) feels like this: We are making music for you, the people in the room with us.

The mindset shift is important, because it’s important to plan the performance you want to give. If you aren’t in the right mindset, you can’t hope to give the right performance.