I was reading another thread and the OP got upset because Clem and some other folks were talking about female jazz singers. I personally love the topic and decided to start a thread about it.
I have some very personal and sure-to-be controversial thoughts on the rankings of these fine ladies, but I'll save them for later. I will showcase a few and hope y'all do, too. We can build on this thread in an educational manner.
I'll begin w/Clem's favorite, Sarah Vaughan. She was called the "Divine One." I think she had a full-bodied voice that was both sensuous and wavering at the same time. It's a very interesting mix. Here is an example:
Very smooth voice that is powerful and sweet. A bit contrived and not completely natural. But, it's still awesome.
I am not a musical expert by any stretch of the imagination, but I think this song is an example of what Clem was talking about when he compared her voice to musical instruments. Uhmmmm........I think Clem said that, but I might have read it somewhere else. LOL
She wasn't just a performer who got by on vocal talent. She had a deep understanding of the music's construction and contributed to the arrangements just like the pianist, trumpet or sax players. Many folks don't know it, but she could lay down some very nice piano playing- just like the boys. All the cats respected her for her chops.
Good now that other thread can go wayside and something worth reading can talked about. Just don't talk about anything else! Jazz Jazz Jazz only.....:)
Amy Winehouse deserves credit for bringing the spotlight back on female jazz. What a talent she was and she clearly came from a different era. I don't listen to her album a lot, but when I do I am always reminded at how amazing she really was and how ahead of the game she was too. I think she was an absolute star that sadly burned too bright. If you haven't seen the documentary I highly recommend it.
Amy Winehouse deserves credit for bringing the spotlight back on female jazz. What a talent she was and she clearly came from a different era. I don't listen to her album a lot, but when I do I am always reminded at how amazing she really was and how ahead of the game she was too. I think she was an absolute star that sadly burned too bright. If you haven't seen the documentary I highly recommend it.
I thought her movie ("Amy") was great. I'm not much into jazz but from a musical standpoint? Her singing really shines in it. Recommended.
It's a fantastic (and sad) documentary. Highly, highly recommended to all. Even if this isn't a genre of music you normally go to there is enough there as an artist to enjoy and feel empathy as well as admiration for her undeniable talent.
Jazz is weird to me. As when I hear it, I love it. Same with old school Blues. Nothing to me sounds better than a soulful blues singer. For some reason though, I do not seek it out like I should since I enjoy it so much. That's the weird part. I just don't listen to it as much as I should seeing how I enjoy it.
Amy's songs come up on my Pandora station occasionally. Back to Black is a lovely, yet haunting song that turned out to be too prophetic.
Rehab is catchy, but it makes me very sad---especially the part about her daddy. I think some of her songs were a cry for help. I like the version of Rehab w/Amy and Jay-Z.
Another female jazz/blues artist that popped up on one of my Pandora stations is Melody Gardot. I shared some of her stuff w/Clem in PMs and he is a fan, too.
She suffered brain trauma after she was hit by a car while riding her bike. She still suffers from the injuries, but she makes great music. She's sweet, soulful, and has a speed and delivery that are uniquely her own. Have a listen:
Jazz is weird to me. As when I hear it, I love it. Same with old school Blues. Nothing to me sounds better than a soulful blues singer. For some reason though, I do not seek it out like I should since I enjoy it so much. That's the weird part. I just don't listen to it as much as I should seeing how I enjoy it.
Here's a suggestion:
Most streaming services now can be tailored by genre. I use a service called Slacker Radio, but there are tons of different ones out there. It has at least 6-8 sub-genres of Jazz: Big Band, BeBop, Jazz After Hours, etc.
Tune in to one of these, and let the good times roll. These services are super cool and convenient. Get tired of a particular sound? Step next door and try a different one.
Jazz is weird to me. As when I hear it, I love it. Same with old school Blues. Nothing to me sounds better than a soulful blues singer. For some reason though, I do not seek it out like I should since I enjoy it so much. That's the weird part. I just don't listen to it as much as I should seeing how I enjoy it.
Here's a suggestion:
Most streaming services now can be tailored by genre. I use a service called Slacker Radio, but there are tons of different ones out there. It has at least 6-8 sub-genres of Jazz: Big Band, BeBop, Jazz After Hours, etc.
Tune in to one of these, and let the good times roll. These services are super cool and convenient. Get tired of a particular sound? Step next door and try a different one.
happy listening!
Ill have to check that out. I love duwop/swing music as well. Frankie lymon and the teenagers were my grandma's favorite. Man could that little ol' white lady get down on the dance floor! Even into her 50's until she develop lung cancer and emphysema.
No doubt. She is one of the big 3 w/Sarah and Ella. Many, many people have her ranked at number 1.
Guess it's time to hear one from Ella. I know a lot of you know the songs from greats like Billie, Ella, and Sarah...but, I think it's important to post some of their songs for people who haven't listened to that music. We might open up the hearts and minds of new admirers of these great artists.
I think this first one is incorrectly titled. I don't hear an orchestra. Just Ella and a piano player.
Another great example of how amazingly clear her voice was. My goodness, I loved that woman.
"Strange Fruit" devastates me every time I hear it. Billie took ownership of it all but authorship with her 1939 recording.
About 15 years ago, we did a gig with Mary Wilson, the true vocal talent behind The Supremes. About 2/3 into the act, she did a mini set with just her traveling combo. The second tune she did with them was SF. I was lucky- they did 2 more tunes before I had to play again.
Mary Wilson, with Billie's haunting song, reduced me to tears onstage. 5 minutes in length. 3 stanzas to tell a tale. 100 years of a sliver of America's most nefarious history, distilled into a compact vignette of High Art.
#neverforget #neveragain
"Southern trees bear strange fruit. Blood on the leaves, and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop."
Hey... songs don't have to be happy to be effective. They just have to be- real.
I brought up the lyrics to Strange Fruit on the Beth and Joe thread because they did a marvelous cover of it. Those lyrics are somehow able to make the hairs o your neck stand up while tugging at your heart at the same time. Incredible.
Speaking of a song w/relevant lyrics, check this one out by the great Nina Simone. I think she is severely underrated. I'd put her up there w/any of the all-time greats.
The reggae back beat makes you wanna dance, yet the sobering lyrics invoke a very different emotion:
Beat-up little seagull On a marble stair Tryin' to find the ocean Lookin' everywhere
Hard times in the city In a hard town by the sea Ain't nowhere to run to There ain't nothin' here for free
Hooker on the corner Waiting for a train Drunk lying on the sidewalk Sleeping in the rain
And the people hide their faces And they hide their eyes 'Cause the city's dyin' And they don't know why
Oh, Baltimore Ain't it hard just to live? Oh, Baltimore Ain't it hard just to live? Just to live
Get my sister Sandy And my little brother Ray Buy a big old wagon To haul us all away
Live out in the country Where the mountain's high Never gonna come back here Till the day I die.
Oh, Baltimore Ain't it hard just to live? Oh, Baltimore Ain't it hard just to live? Just to live
I want to add something. I was watching a live version of Sinnerman and you should have seen the looks on some of the white faces. Nina made a lot of people very uncomfortable back in the day. She addressed topics that are easily talked about now, but she was a pioneer in the black movement. She was a brave and strong woman in addition to be ultra-talented.
Last edited by Versatile Dog; 06/26/1808:09 PM. Reason: More info
When I was 12, I was chauffeured (by My Pops) 12 minutes to the local High School. Gig was in the gymnasium.
On the bill that evening:
Louis Armstrong Ella Fitzgerald
Louis was getting up in years- did more singing than playing. Ella was the second act. Torched that gym to ash! I only remember how much that place rocked after each tune. Last set: Ella AND Louis.
A whole lotta people went home happy that evening.
I wish I was a little bit older- with a little more music under my belt at the time. I was blessed to see not one- but TWO legends of the Jazz world on one bill. Pretty special event for a kid who would eventually grow up to make his paycheck on a stage. I was generally aware of how special this night was. Looking back almost 50 years, it's plain that I was witnessing greatness on one night of my childhood.
Love this thread. I'd much rather read others (and respond) than try to run stuff. It's a privilege to read what moves my friends.
For those who get tired of hearing the old-school artists, here is a younger star that intrigues me. I believe if you like Melody Gardot, you might also like this wonderful girl.
"Strange Fruit" devastates me every time I hear it. Billie took ownership of it all but authorship with her 1939 recording.
About 15 years ago, we did a gig with Mary Wilson, the true vocal talent behind The Supremes. About 2/3 into the act, she did a mini set with just her traveling combo. The second tune she did with them was SF. I was lucky- they did 2 more tunes before I had to play again.
Mary Wilson, with Billie's haunting song, reduced me to tears onstage. 5 minutes in length. 3 stanzas to tell a tale. 100 years of a sliver of America's most nefarious history, distilled into a compact vignette of High Art.
#neverforget #neveragain
"Southern trees bear strange fruit. Blood on the leaves, and blood at the root Black bodies swinging in the southern breeze Strange fruit hanging from the poplar trees.
Pastoral scene of the gallant south, The bulging eyes and the twisted mouth Scent of magnolias, sweet and fresh Then the sudden smell of burning flesh.
Here is fruit for the crows to pluck For the rain to gather, for the wind to suck For the sun to rot, for the trees to drop Here is a strange and bitter crop."
Hey... songs don't have to be happy to be effective. They just have to be- real.
peace.
Ain't Nobody's Business, Clem. The only true jazz song I can play on guitar.
But strangely enough: a few years ago I was taking pictures at a girls high school rugby game and a chick was dominating, she was pounding through people on the rugby pitch.
A couple years later, I met up with her and got to know her a little bit and she said she could sing Billie.
I said 'let's hear it' and she sang strange fruit like a pro. That's the first I first heard about that song.
I think there were more posts about jazz on the 13 year old Star is Born thread than this one. Makes me think that some were just messing w/Bad. Not cool.
I'll try again. Julie London was a beautiful woman who I believe was popular in the mid 50s. Not a bad voice and a pretty good delivery.
One of the women from my parent's generation that always intrigued me was Dinah Washington. I really want to like her and there are so many things that she does well. Yet, there is something that is missing. Perhaps she doesn't carry a note as far as Ella, Sarah, Billie, and some others. However, I think it is important to acknowledge her.
Clem, I just couldn't see a thread about the women of jazz without posting Billy doing Strange Fruit.
She was a true pioneer of raising her voice about the history of tyranny. It took extreme bravery and fortitude to do such a song during that period of time and my hat's off to her. While I've never walked in the shoes of a person of color, I do have a heart. Considering my situation in life, I too get emotional when I hear this song.
Intoducing for The Cleveland Browns, Quarterback Deshawn "The Predator" Watson. He will also be the one to choose your next head coach.
This song has been covered by many. I mostly remember the Peggy Lee version and then Ella's. I believe this is the newest cover of it. I thin it came out in March and is recorded by a pair of my favorites:
This one sings. While she's playing lights-out. The Grammys got one right when they picked her over Justin Bieber as best new artist. Ton of truly incensed 12 year old girls that night. Someone hacked/crashed her website the following day.
Oh, well. Haters gonna hate. She gets to play for presidents.
LOL...............I was going to post that song. I have an entire list of songs I wanted to post. I have been hoping some of you guys would post the same ones.
This might be sacrilege for some, but I really like Nora Jones' voice and her artistic ability. She is also pleasant to my eyes. As Buddy Guy might say,
Quote:
Look at that, she shakes all over when she walk She made a blind man see Made a dumb man talk What kind of woman is this? Hmm, shucks
I gotta play that song on another day, but in the meantime, here is a pretty cool song from sweet, sweet Nora Jones.
I'm mostly Italian and spent a large portion of my youth in an Italian community in NY. I'm telling you, the Italians are passionate people. Whether it be cooking, signing, love making, fighting, crying, dancing...........they do it w/an unmatched passion.
Here is a cool video of a great Italian singer w/some hot Italian women dancing. Sophia Loren used to be the love of my life, even though I was a little pip-squeak kid when she was dazzling the world w/her beauty.
Oh, and check out the voice on this Italian bella donna.
This one sings. While she's playing lights-out. The Grammys got one right when they picked her over Justin Bieber as best new artist. Ton of truly incensed 12 year old girls that night. Someone hacked/crashed her website the following day.
Oh, well. Haters gonna hate. She gets to play for presidents.
And, she's a local Portlander! "We Are The Rose City!"
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