Tony Bennett
The Complete Decca Recordings
The Great American Songbook, Vol. 1
Jazzmeia Horn

Vocal » Vocal Jazz

Most of the 20th century's great vocalists performed in the jazz idiom, though not all rank in the style known as vocal jazz. While singers from Russ Columbo to Doris Day to Johnny Mathis relied on talent and vocal strength alone to carry material, vocal jazz artists instead chose to interpret standards in much the same way as the great jazz instrumentalists, so their readings of the great American songbook required talents related to improvisation, musicianship, harmony, even personalization to bring new meanings to the lyrics. A pair of early giants, Louis Armstrong and Bing Crosby, recorded distinctive readings of standards, relying on a delivery that was casual yet very focused -- an almost total break with the professional vocal traditions of the past. From the big-band era came dozens of major jazz vocalists, and in fact, most of the best: Frank Sinatra, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Mel Tormé, Anita O'Day, Sarah Vaughan, Peggy Lee, Joe Williams; all of them worked long hours touring with swing bands, and most were repaid in kind with major success during the post-war era, when the style really bloomed. Though it wasn't always easy separating jazz vocalists from traditional pop singers, many in the jazz repertoire usually earned the tag by delivering variations of their material in performance or scatting in emulation of a jazz soloist. They also generally refused no-name orchestras and generic pop hits of the day, preferring instead the work of talented arrangers (Nelson Riddle, Billy May) and truly great composers (Irving Berlin, Cole Porter, the Gershwins). Singers of the post-war era began stretching the concepts of not swing but bop, interpreting the frantic tempoes and exploratory solos of jazz instrumentalists with their own vocal experiments. Lambert, Hendricks & Ross indulged in manic harmonies, while a host of singers (including Betty Carter, Mark Murphy, and Abbey Lincoln) explored different charts, radical material, and much improvisation. Even while the ranks of jazz vocalists thinned during the 1970s and '80s, many artists continued in the style.

Vocal Jazz Artists Highlights

Tony Bennett
Tony Bennett
Jazzmeia Horn
Jazzmeia Horn
Ella Fitzgerald
Ella Fitzgerald
Joe Williams
Joe Williams
Dinah Washington
Dinah Washington
Billie Holiday
Billie Holiday

More Vocal Jazz Artists

Vocal Jazz Album Highlights

The Complete Decca Recordings
Billie Holiday
The Complete Decca ...
The Great American Songbook, Vol. 1
Carmen McRae
The Great American ...
The Hottest New Group in Jazz [Compilation]
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
The Hottest New Group in ...
John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman
John Coltrane / Johnny ...
John Coltrane and Johnny ...
Sings Fred Astaire
Mel Tormé
Sings Fred Astaire
The Best of the Concord Years
Mel Tormé
The Best of the Concord ...

More Vocal Jazz Albums

Vocal Jazz Song Highlights

Title/Composer Performer Stream
Something Cool June Christy / Pete Rugolo
My Baby Just Cares for Me Nina Simone
Dancing in the Dark Tony Bennett
Moonlight in Vermont Betty Carter
I Get a Kick Out of You Chris Connor
When I Say Jazzmeia Horn
Oh, Lady Be Good Ella Fitzgerald
Take the "A" Train Betty Roché
Fascinating Rhythm Marty Paich / Marty Paich Dek-tette / Mel Tormé
I've Got You Under My Skin Dinah Washington

More Vocal Jazz Songs

Other Styles in Vocal