Any guitarists in jazz that can sing?

[Irishmuso]

Thank god that Pinheiro group can play in time with each other. It would just take one of them to go out and the whole thing would be a really serious car crash. I was nervous just listening to it!

The singer was playing all the band parts from the start and didn't let up when they joined in. I remember an over enthusiastic piano player being taken aside by a singer to be told, 'don't be the band, be in the band'.

[Gearhead]

"btw about George Benson, he is one of the greatest, his (non jazz music) sound a bit more like soul than R&B for me. His contribution, - just as singer - is way bigger than Marvin Gaye's and Frank Sinatra's together despite the masses who idolize the latter two. I do know, El Jarreau and Bobby McFerrin are geniuses, but there is only one singer I can listen any time, any condition an unlimited way, and this is Benson, who's music goes staight to my heart, bypassing my brain."


you must be kidding - as much as I love George Benson, but Frank Sinatra?! Have you ever listened to his concept albums? Probably not.... Bobby McFerrin, Al Jarreau - they eat (or ate) George alive...

[wolflen]

John Pizzarelli
Benson

seems strange..rock/pop has many guitar/singers..

is it that "jazz" is an instrument based music?? It has many vocalists.

[wintermoon]

John Pizzarelli

The question was guitarists that can sing.
Just kidding, JP sings but his nasal tone isn't exactly my favorite.

[Dean_G]

Leon Redbone?

[ragman1]

Any guitarists in jazz that can sing?

I suspect there are, but they don't.

[RJVB]

Alicyn Yaffee sings (but she also plays styles that probably don't count as jazz).

[pamosmusic]

Camila Meza

[Dean_G]

[RobbieAG]

Lenny Breau

[deacon Mark]

I will throw this out although an unknow in all but the jazz guitar archtop world. Guitar maker Bill Barker was a fine singer and I believe a singer first and foremost for many gigs. He was also a monster guitar player who knew a ton of tunes and could play with anyone really. He made country record early in his career or at least in the vein of county type tunes. I don't remember the recording date. He also told me that the great Johnny Gray was a singer too, but his guitar skills were so in demand to back singers that he really never did much singing after he made in pretty good in studios.

If you are a singer and guitar player, it probably helps to be nice looking because then you get more attention. Some jazz players might actually sing but then some of them might not look so terribly handsome . Fill in the blanks.

[JazzIsGood]

Ilya Lushtak

[LandonEavers]

Wow- never heard this guy before somehow! Thanks for sharing...classy and classic.

[Flat]

There are a lot of players mentioned upthread who can sing and play. But if I could sing really well I probably would never have invested so much time and effort trying to learn to play.

[equenda]

In my opinion Gigi Cifarelli is an amazing jazz guitar player AND a great singer too.
Check out this very old recording of a Cifarell's original tribute to Wes Montgomery: "Letter To Wes!". The female voice is Angela Baggi. The guitar solo is something that you can't hear often.

Ettore

[tribalfusion]

Camila Meza

Camila Meza is a great example and I'm surprised she hasn't been mentioned many times in this thread.

[nbevan3]

Take a look at Jocelyn Gould:

Home

[guitouttaheah]

Peter Autschbach

[AdroitMage]

Yeah, John is the man when it comes to that. He's also a fantastic, old school, born entertainer.

Oh yeah, he's a really fantastic player and entertainer.

[AdroitMage]

George Benson doesn't 'only' sing R&B, though that's what most of his singing music is. He sings jazz on some tracks too. One of his most recent albums is called "Inspiration: A Tribute to Nat King Cole." He sings songs recorded by Nat King Cole who George has said is his favorite singer.

[AdroitMage]

There are a lot of players mentioned upthread who can sing and play. But if I could sing really well I probably would never have invested so much time and effort trying to learn to play.

I would. I have a good singing voice but I love playing much more than I like singing. Jimi Hendrix said he liked playing guitar more than singing, too, but he still sang on his albums.

[FourOnSix]

I would. I have a good singing voice but I love playing much more than I like singing. Jimi Hendrix said he liked playing guitar more than singing, too, but he still sang on his albums.

I have said on more than one occasion that if I could sing like Vince Gill (one of my favorite singers who also knows his way around guitar; my love of music is not limited to jazz), I wouldn't care if I could play or not. As it is, I love playing with a passion, which tells you what I think of my own singing voice vs. Vince Gill's.

As for Hendrix, he didn't like his singing voice. I do happen to like it.

[jumpnblues]

Mark Whitfield? I'm not sure about that though.

[Zappa68]

So there is George Benson, but he sings in a more R&B like way. I hear Gabor Szabo sing “Bang Bang(My Baby S hot Me Down)” before but usually he does not sing. I mean guitar players that can sing in a way like Frank Sinatra or Johnny Hartman can. There are guys who can sing and play piano such as Harry Connick Jr and Nat King Cole. How about someone for guitar?

And Diana Krall!

[Ukena]

Ilya Lushtak

An under-appreciated player. Barry Harris often chose him to accompany him in his last few years.

Ilya is based in NYC, but he travels to Russia quite often (where his parents were from). IIRC, he also studied with Ted Greene.

He's no longer with us, but Nick Lucas sang occasionally...

And Caterina Valente, who was really a singer who played guitar well: