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Hope that's the right board for this question:
As a general rule I think it's true to say that you have to have an - as high as possible - tenor voice to make it as a vocalist in rock/pop music.
In jazz on the other side, I hardly can name a single tenor voice, all baritones*.
Of course there are always exceptions, but as a general rule...
Any thoughts?
* G. Benson being an exception
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11-21-2017 08:00 AM
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Jimmy Scott's another exception - and an obvious influence on Joe Pesci (on the marvellous Nancy Wilson, too):
I agree that higher male voices are far more suited to the more 'athletic' singing required for rock/pop.
But the classification of voices seems to have less relevance in early (acoustic) blues and jazz.
Besides, voices can be trained 'up'; head voice can be (figuratively) 'brought down' to chest. (Cutting out alcohol has helped me approximate the range of my hero Phil Perry.)
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Al Jarreau--high voice, but an incredible range
But I agree most of the best male jazz singers "start low" then can bring it up high or sing falsetto if the song calls for it.
My favorites, in no particular order, Johnny Hartman, Louis Armstrong, Mel Torme, Nat King Cole, George Benson, Joe Williams, Harry Connick Jr, John Pizarelli, Jimmy Scott, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Tony Bennett, Kurt Elling.
I would say my favorite living singers are probably Kurt, George, Harry and John.
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I'm sure you all know that Joe Pesci started out as a guitarist and singer, and has made a wonderful documentary on Jimmy Scott, his friend and idol.
His first gig was as guitarist for Joey Dee and the Starlifters, then he went solo, without great success, until his film career got going.
He retired mostly from films about a decade ago to pursue music, but apparently will be starring in another Scorcese film with Robert de Niro called The Irishmen.
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I saw a nice jazz combo on a cruise ship a couple years ago. I liked them but the Chet Baker range didn't seem to go over well.
I bought about 10 books on singing maybe 5 years ago and it was illuminating. Rockers have techniques to sound like rockers. The best book by far was Singing for Dummies.
Some people are just natural singers.
It's interesting who she points out as having good technique- Karen Carpenter, Luther Vandross, Elvis and Garth Brooks. There are 'belters' like Whitney Houston.
There are exceptions but generally rockers are expected to be tenors and in jazz it's baritones. I don't subscribe to the idea of 'jazz' singers. Singers are singers.
Shoo be doo....
My favorite singers are Lou Rawls, Karen Carpenter and as of late George Micheal.
Herb Ellis on guitar here;
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There's no doubt in my mind that you have to have as high a range as possible for some of the metal genre. But this guy managed to win two Pop Grammys in one year as a baritone. I guess that makes him an statistical outlier.
Originally Posted by DonEsteban
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There were some interesting baritones from the UK during the new wave. The guy from Sister's of Mercy. David Freeman here;
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Of all the voices mentioned so far, I really like AND ADMIRE Al Jarreau, Nat 'King' Cole, Joe Williams, Ray Charles, Lou Rawls, Luther Vandross and Karen Carpenter.
I don't know Garth Brooks, but I'll check him out.
I particularly admire João Gilberto's singing, and also Phil Perry:
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Phil Perry is one of the greats. That kind of virtuosity in R&B isn't easy.
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That connection with the audience and talking to them seems to come from church. I worked with the top act in Diego for a short time. Then took a gig with a steps band in Japan and lost my mind. Originally Posted by destinytot
R&B is waiting for me to die but they'll just have to wait a little longer. I'm the perfect side man and yakuza girls are all in love with me.
All of them.
Love before music.
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Jeff Oster of the Oster Welker Alliance is a singer that I like. He uses his voice like an instrument and can scat very nicely.
Rock singers sing to come in all types of voices these days but the most popular, your Katy Perrys, Beyonces, Christina Aquileras, Adeles, seem to indeed have power and range. These seem to be the ones filling up the stadiums.
And when I say Rock, I am thinking more of Pop music than I am of the harder type of rock (AC/DC, KISS, etc...)
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I baulk at gimmickry, but I can recognise the sound of exuberant joy. I'm less interested in 'jazz' singers/singing these days - except the blues.
I can't find a link to BB King's Tonight I'm Gonna Make You A Star (from Take It Home), but I've got it on repeat on my mp3 player.
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She exaggerates major 3rds in places. I'm guessing she was heavily influenced by BB King. Originally Posted by destinytot
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What is a jazz singer? Someone who's repertoire is the GAS? I think a big proportion of jazz influenced guys would be classified as r&b, like Stevie Wonder, Al Green, Marvin Gay, Michael Jackson. Plenty of tenors.
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Tell that to jazz musicians. Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
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the blue side...
Gene Harris (piano); Jack McDuff (Hammond B-3 organ); Curtis Stigers(vocal); Ron Eschete (guitar); Luther Hughes (bass); Paul Humphrey (drums)
for my taste, I couldn't ask for anything more...excellence from all
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Stevie's a genius--he can do anything. Love these pics of Stevie and Ray, a few years apart: Originally Posted by cosmic gumbo
As far as most blues, R&B and soul, it's not jazz IMO, with some exceptions. Not that I don't love BB and Al and Marvin. Michael J was produced by Quincy Jones and kind of overlaps with Miles and Prince in terms of sound of the 80's, but I don't find his stuff very jazzy.
Ray Charles is jazz. Earth Wind and Fire gets closest to the intersection of jazz, funk and R&B in my opinion--wonderful charts. Of course Maurice White started out as a jazz drummer...
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Then there's the influence of this great man: Donny Hathaway: a soul man who departed too soon | Music | The Guardian Originally Posted by Doctor Jeff
Stevie's a genius--he can do anything. Love these pics of Stevie and Ray, a few years apart:
As far as most blues, R&B and soul, it's not jazz IMO, with some exceptions. Not that I don't love BB and Al and Marvin. Michael J was produced by Quincy Jones and kind of overlaps with Miles and Prince in terms of sound of the 80's, but I don't find his stuff very jazzy.
Ray Charles is jazz. Earth Wind and Fire gets closest to the intersection of jazz, funk and R&B in my opinion--wonderful charts. Of course Maurice White started out as a jazz drummer...
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Ooh - nice! Hadn't heard Curtis Stigers before. Thanks! Originally Posted by BFrench
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Precisely why on tomorrow's duo gig (with a Hammond player) there'll be as little singing as I can get away with. Bringing me Tele! Originally Posted by Stevebol
Tell that to jazz musicians.
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I'm going Indie rock. Originally Posted by destinytot
Precisely why on tomorrow's duo gig (with a Hammond player) there'll be as little singing as I can get away with. Bringing me Tele!
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Post some examples, man! Originally Posted by Stevebol
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A singer songwriter posted an ad so I'm working on his music. It's good when people post their music and it's minimalist. Originally Posted by destinytot
Indie seems to be strong in Vegas.
I'll learn these 8 songs and try to come up with ideas then answer the ad. Hopefully others are doing what he's doing.
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