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			{{Short description\|Instrumental approach to jazz using the voice}}
	] Singing can be defined by the instrumental approach to the voice, where the singer can match the instruments in their stylistic approach to the lyrics, improvised or otherwise, or through ] singing; that is, the use of nonsensical meaningless non-morphemic syllables to imitate the sound of instruments.
			'''Vocal jazz''' or '''jazz singing''' is a genre within jazz music where the voice is used as an instrument.

			Vocal jazz began in the early twentieth century. ] music has its roots in ] and ragtime and can also traced back to the ].<ref name=":2">{{Cite web \|date=2024-03-20 \|title=Jazz {{!}} Definition, History, Musicians, & Facts {{!}} Britannica \|url=https://www.britannica.com/art/jazz \|access-date=2024-04-16 \|website=www.britannica.com \|language=en}}</ref> Jazz music is characterized by ], ], and unique ] and pitch deviation.<ref name=":2" /> In vocal jazz, this includes vocal improvisations called ] where vocalists imitate the instrumentalist's tone and rhythm.
	== 1917 to 1950 ==

		⚫	== History ==
	Jazz has since its earliest inceptions been very much an instrumentally and male dominated music, leaning heavily on a performer’s skill to create musical ambience than lyrics as a means to communication. Strangely, the ‘roots’ of jazz were very much vocal; ‘]’ and chants and their like, while earlier forms of jazz were primarily based around marching of brass band configurations, albeit in a less ‘mobile’ position. The reasons for this seem unclear, given that ] maintained a strong vocal tradition, with singers such as ] heavily influencing the progress of American music in general. Early jazz bands sometimes did feature vocalists, albeit in a more ‘bluesy’ tone of voice; arguably one of the first ‘Jazz’ recordings, the 1917 ] recordings featured one Sarah Martin on vocal duties- revolutionary in a pre-revolutionary era; as such, in a time before Jazz was ‘Jazz’.
			Jazz singing originates from African-American ] people who sang ]s and ]s.<ref name=":1" /> Work songs and field hollers provided a mode of expression for enslaved people to challenge the oppressive structures of ].<ref name=":4">{{Cite web \|title=Work Song, Field Call & More \|url=https://timeline.carnegiehall.org/genres/work-songs-field-street-calls-satirical-protest-songs \|access-date=2024-04-26 \|website=Timeline of African American Music \|language=en}}</ref> They allowed emotional expression, helped pass the time, and coordinated labor movements.<ref name=":4" /> The musical elements of these songs involved a ] structure and included repetitive phrasing and ] which are foundational elements of jazz music.<ref name=":4" />

			Spirituals in churches, ], and ] also were the basis for jazz music.<ref name=":1">{{Cite book \|last=Yanow \|first=Scott \|title=The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide \|publisher=Backbeat Books \|year=2008 \|location=New York, NY \|pages=x-xi}}</ref> Jazz grew into popularity in the early twentieth century, with its roots in ].<ref name=":1" />
	It was ] who first exposed the world to real Jazz singing; the first singer to swinger to swing, to improvise, and to ]. ]’s entrance into the world of entertainment in the early 1930’s brought about much interest, approaching the voice in a radically different approach, she explained, in her own words, “I don’t feel like I’m singing, I feel like I’m playing the horn.’ Her success however was halted in 1933 with the end of ] in the ], ending the, until that point, profitable business of running ‘speakeasies’, which served as primary outlets for jazz music to exist. To prevent the collapse of the ‘club’ scene entirely, owners needed another attraction to take alcohol’s place, thus a call for a more ‘danceable’ form of jazz was made- giving rise to the ‘] era’, and with it big bands such as the ‘]’, which whom ] later performed.

			] is often cited as being a large contributor to the rise in popularity of vocal jazz music, beginning in the late 1920s.<ref name=":1" /> His 1926 recording of "]" is often cited as the first modern song to employ ], a vocal improvisation technique.<ref>{{Cite book \|last1=Crowther \|first1=Bruce \|title=Singing Jazz \|last2=Pinfold \|first2=Mike \|publisher=] Books \|year=1997 \|isbn=0-87930-519-3}}</ref>
	Holiday’s influence played a big role in ]’s career; she began making waves during the course of 1939, and is renowned to have exposed ] singing to real ‘mainstream’ audiences for the first time, explaining "I stole everything I ever heard, but mostly I stole from the horns." Through Fitzgerald’s rise to fame, Vocal Jazz was elevated to higher rankings, allowing the notion of ‘free voice’ to exist, giving instrumental qualities to the voice through timbres, registers and tessitura, primarily through her 1940’s ‘]’ concert series, where she left audiences awestruck by her imitations of instruments. Between ] and ], names like ], ], ], ], ], ] and ] dominated the vocal jazz scene .

			In the 1940s, jazz evolved into the ]. Notable singers of this period were ], ], ], and ] who had all previously sung with big bands and developed their solo careers.<ref name=":1" />
	== 1951 to 1968 ==

			Alongside the rise of the more relaxed ] in the 1950s, singers followed the same laid-back approach. This period gave rise to ], ], ], ], ], ], ], and ].<ref name=":1" />
	The period between ] and ] was the territory of mass-market music, record companies looking to make a profit by targeting music at teenagers, these displaying different tastes than their previous adult audience. As such, a decline in Jazz’s popularity became noticeable, being replaced by early ‘pop’ records. Around the same time, the ‘Long Playing’ Record was invented, ‘freeing’ musicians from the time constraints of the ‘Extended Player’ record. The ], being more expensive, was aimed at the adult audience who could afford to spend the extra money on records. ] spelled disaster for Jazz it seems, with ] releasing their first record, leading indirectly to jazz losing much of its popularity. Singers popular at this time were ], ], ], ] and ].

	== ~~1970~~ ~~to future~~ ==		== Vocal technique ==
			Vocal jazz is characterized by vocal techniques such as ], ], ] execution, and soft releases of vowels.<ref name=":3">{{Cite journal \|last1=Spradling \|first1=Diana \|last2=Binek \|first2=Justin \|date=June 2015 \|title=Pedagogy for the Jazz Singer \|url=https://acda.org/cj.asp \|journal=The Choral Journal \|publisher=] \|volume=55 \|issue=11 \|pages=6–17}}</ref> In vocal jazz, compared to classical choral pedagogy there is less ] and ornamental use of ].<ref name=":3" /> Jazz vocalists use more conversational pronunciation of words and shorter musical phrasing than in ].<ref name=":3" />

			Jazz arrangements require great flexibility and the ability to use mixed-register singing techniques. Jazz singers usually sing in keys that fall in their middle to low registers.<ref name=":3" /> The microphone technique is a big part of vocal jazz singing, allowing vocalists to amplify their voices with certain phrases.<ref name=":3" />
	Vocal Jazz, from ] onward, was, and is, led by several big names, including ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ], among many others. Some of the biggest influences on the Vocal Jazz style during the past 38 years, all of whom approach the jazz voice in different ways, are ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. What follows are chronological descriptions of each group / artist’s contribution to the development of Vocal Jazz, and a short record of their achievements.

			Most jazz singers use a rhythm section (], ], ]s, and ]) and sometimes ].<ref name=":0">{{Cite thesis \|last=Moline \|first=Lara Marie \|date=2019 \|title=Vocal Jazz in the Choral Classroom: A Pedagogical Study \|url=https://digscholarship.unco.edu/dissertations/576/ \|type=DMA dissertation \|publisher=University of Northern Colorado \|id=Paper 576 \|via=Digital UNC}}</ref> Vocal ]s consist of multiple voices alongside instrumental accompaniment.
	== Contemporary Jazz Vocalists ==

			Vocal jazz ] typically includes music from the ]. Popular music arrangements are often made for vocal jazz ensembles.
	Brazilian-born ] released her first solo album in 1973, entitled ], on ] through ] , and is most renowned for her remarkable six-] ]. Her first exposure to mainstream audiences was through two recording collaborations with ], an important part of the Big Band Swing scene, entitled “Light as a feather” and “Return to Forever”, in ] and ], respectively, which stand to date as significant developments in the field of ]. Purim’s approach to Vocal Jazz included ], using a ‘percussive’ element in her work.

			==See also==
	] made his first impressions on the world through the 1975 release of his “We Got By” album on ] , which promptly won him a German ] award, as did his following ] release “Glow”. Jarreau’s music features elements of ], ] and ], and he is also the only person to hold ] awards for all three styles of music. Jarreau is renowned for being able to perfectly imitate the sound of Guitars, Electric Basses, Upright Basses and Percussion instruments, and tends to improvise performances using that talent rather than ‘sing songs’, as other singers do. Jarreau’s experience with performance and singing has its roots in his early childhood, where he and his brothers performed together in a close harmony group, later singing in the church choir.
			* ]
			* ]
			* ]

			==References==
	Jazz Guitarist ] shocked his audience in 1976 by releasing an album, “This Masquerade”, on ] Music, on which he sang- to winning effect. Having released his first album 12 years prior, a collaboration with ], entitled “The New Boss Guitar”, describable as “]-Tinged ]” , released through ]. Benson’s guitar overshadowed his skill as a vocalist, and he appeared for many years as a sideman for some great names in Jazz, including ], ] and ], before going into the Studio with ] as producer- making an album that proceeded to win him a ] award for making the “Record Of The Year”, probably attributable to the close relationship between his singing style and his guitar playing- melodic and chromatically fluent, with a touch of blues influence, the emphasis on sensuous, soft vocal lines. Describing his music, Benson says “I really like when people kick up their heels and go crazy.”
			{{reflist}}

			{{Jazz}}
	] is well known for her fluent improvisational style that mixes Jazz with R&B Elements, for which she has won four ] awards since her first release in ], “Welcome To My Love”, on ]. Born into a musical family, her Father being a Trumpet player and her mother a Singer, Reeves has to date released 18 solo albums, and appeared on 24 other albums as a guest, and is best known as a live performer rather than a studio singer, having appeared with the ], and the ], singing in her own smooth improvisational scat style.

			]
	] has released 19 Albums, and has received 10 ] awards, since his first self-titled release in 1982, and has the first a capella song on ]’s ‘]’ chart, “]” (1988) to his credit. He has since ] held the position of creative chair at the ], the USA’s largest chamber orchestra- McFerrin moves easily between the worlds of ] and ], working as a conductor and releasing recordings of classical music, although it is his incredible four-] vocal range that earns him sold out unaccompanied and fully improvised world tours; McFerrin has the remarkable ability to turn concerts into large-scale ‘workshops’, where the audience plays an integral role.
			]

			]
	] is renowned for her re-workings of popular music into jazz-style, as with her ] release, “Schuur Fire”, where, for instance, ]’s “Ordinary World” is reworked into ]. Blinded shortly after birth by a hospital complication, Schuur’s 3½ ] range has earned her a place playing with the ], filling the shoes ] left behind, for which she won a ]. Given her blindness, Schuur is forced to put all of her energy into her singing in order to communicate with her audience- which she, with her bluesy vibrato, manages to do better than most sighted singers.

	], a vocal harmony group comprising of a ], a ] and four ]s , founded by Claude McKnight released their first, self-titled, album straight at the top, on ] Music, combining ], ], ] and ] arrangements, and setting the standard for contemporary male harmony groups. The group focuses on more ‘percussive’ elements in their music, going as far as to create ‘vocally produced instrumental jazz’ on a whim.

	] formed through an ] college alumni group and released their first, self-titled album on ] in ], and won a Grammy award for their ] collaboration with the ], “Count Basie Orchestra with New York Voices Live at Manchester Craftsmen's Guild”. Initially a sestet, the ] have, through numerous member-changes become a quartet, who, aside from performing, give jazz clinics at schools and universities. The New York Voices have to date released six albums, all blends of ], ], ], ] and ].

	== Conclusion ==

	As noted above, the explosion of ] in the ] was detrimental to Jazz’s development, leading to a supposed ‘ebb’ in the late ] / early ] which was then seemingly followed by a resurgence and the ‘golden age’ of vocal jazz with numerous new artists developing the genre and pushing the standards consistently higher, all boding well for the future of vocal jazz.

	== Further Reading ==

	Holiday, Billie, 1915-1959
	Lady sings the blues / Billie Holiday; with William Dufty
	London: Barrie Books, 1958

	Johnson, J Wilfred
	Ella Fitzgerald: an annotated discography; including a complete discography of Chick Webb / J. Wilfred Johnson
	Jefferson, N.C.: McFarland, 2001

	Schuller, Gunther, 1925-
	Early jazz: its roots and musical development / Gunther Schuller
	New York: Oxford University Press, 1968

	Ward, Geoffrey C
	Jazz: a history of America's music / Geoffrey C. Ward; based on a documentary film by Ken Burns
	New York: Knopf, 2000.

	== External Links ==

















⚫	== ~~People~~ ==

Latest revision as of 16:41, 29 November 2024

Instrumental approach to jazz using the voice

Vocal jazz or jazz singing is a genre within jazz music where the voice is used as an instrument.

Vocal jazz began in the early twentieth century. Jazz music has its roots in blues and ragtime and can also traced back to the New Orleans jazz tradition. Jazz music is characterized by syncopated rhythms, improvisation, and unique tonality and pitch deviation. In vocal jazz, this includes vocal improvisations called scat singing where vocalists imitate the instrumentalist's tone and rhythm.

History

Jazz singing originates from African-American enslaved people who sang field hollers and work songs. Work songs and field hollers provided a mode of expression for enslaved people to challenge the oppressive structures of white power. They allowed emotional expression, helped pass the time, and coordinated labor movements. The musical elements of these songs involved a call-and-response structure and included repetitive phrasing and improvisation which are foundational elements of jazz music.

Spirituals in churches, minstrels, and vaudeville also were the basis for jazz music. Jazz grew into popularity in the early twentieth century, with its roots in blues.

Louis Armstrong is often cited as being a large contributor to the rise in popularity of vocal jazz music, beginning in the late 1920s. His 1926 recording of "Heebie Jeebies" is often cited as the first modern song to employ scatting, a vocal improvisation technique.

In the 1940s, jazz evolved into the bop era. Notable singers of this period were Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Billie Holiday, and Dinah Washington who had all previously sung with big bands and developed their solo careers.

Alongside the rise of the more relaxed cool jazz in the 1950s, singers followed the same laid-back approach. This period gave rise to Peggy Lee, June Christy, Chris Connor, Helen Merrill, Chet Baker, Carmen McRae, Joe Williams, and Ray Charles.

Vocal technique

Vocal jazz is characterized by vocal techniques such as pitch bending, inflections, consonant execution, and soft releases of vowels. In vocal jazz, compared to classical choral pedagogy there is less legato and ornamental use of vibrato. Jazz vocalists use more conversational pronunciation of words and shorter musical phrasing than in choral singing.

Jazz arrangements require great flexibility and the ability to use mixed-register singing techniques. Jazz singers usually sing in keys that fall in their middle to low registers. The microphone technique is a big part of vocal jazz singing, allowing vocalists to amplify their voices with certain phrases.

Most jazz singers use a rhythm section (piano, bass, drums, and guitar) and sometimes vocal percussion. Vocal jazz ensembles consist of multiple voices alongside instrumental accompaniment.

Vocal jazz repertoire typically includes music from the Great American Songbook. Popular music arrangements are often made for vocal jazz ensembles.

References

^ "Jazz | Definition, History, Musicians, & Facts | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 2024-03-20. Retrieved 2024-04-16.
^ Yanow, Scott (2008). The Jazz Singers: The Ultimate Guide. New York, NY: Backbeat Books. pp. x–xi.
^ "Work Song, Field Call & More". Timeline of African American Music. Retrieved 2024-04-26.
Crowther, Bruce; Pinfold, Mike (1997). Singing Jazz. Miller Freeman Books. ISBN 0-87930-519-3.
^ Spradling, Diana; Binek, Justin (June 2015). "Pedagogy for the Jazz Singer". The Choral Journal. 55 (11). American Choral Directors Association: 6–17.
Moline, Lara Marie (2019). Vocal Jazz in the Choral Classroom: A Pedagogical Study (DMA dissertation). University of Northern Colorado. Paper 576 – via Digital UNC.