Vocal jazz orjazz 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 inblues andragtime and can also traced back to theNew Orleans jazz tradition.[1] Jazz music is characterized bysyncopated rhythms,improvisation, and uniquetonality and pitch deviation.[1] In vocal jazz, this includes vocal improvisations calledscat singing where vocalists imitate the instrumentalist's tone and rhythm.
Jazz singing originates from African-Americanenslaved people who sangfield hollers andwork songs.[2] Work songs and field hollers provided a mode of expression for enslaved people to challenge the oppressive structures ofwhite power.[3] They allowed emotional expression, helped pass the time, and coordinated labor movements.[3] The musical elements of these songs involved acall-and-response structure and included repetitive phrasing andimprovisation which are foundational elements of jazz music.[3]
Spirituals in churches,minstrels, andvaudeville also were the basis for jazz music.[2] Jazz grew into popularity in the early twentieth century, with its roots inblues.[2]
Louis Armstrong is often cited as being a large contributor to the rise in popularity of vocal jazz music, beginning in the late 1920s.[2] His 1926 recording of "Heebie Jeebies" is often cited as the first modern song to employscatting, a vocal improvisation technique.[4]
In the 1940s, jazz evolved into thebop era. Notable singers of this period wereElla Fitzgerald,Sarah Vaughan,Billie Holiday, andDinah Washington who had all previously sung with big bands and developed their solo careers.[2]
Alongside the rise of the more relaxedcool jazz in the 1950s, singers followed the same laid-back approach. This period gave rise toPeggy Lee,June Christy,Chris Connor,Helen Merrill,Chet Baker,Carmen McRae,Joe Williams, andRay Charles.[2]
Vocal jazz is characterized by vocal techniques such aspitch bending,inflections,consonant execution, and soft releases of vowels.[5] In vocal jazz, compared to classical choral pedagogy there is lesslegato and ornamental use ofvibrato.[5] Jazz vocalists use more conversational pronunciation of words and shorter musical phrasing than inchoral singing.[5]
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.[5] The microphone technique is a big part of vocal jazz singing, allowing vocalists to amplify their voices with certain phrases.[5]
Most jazz singers use a rhythm section (piano,bass,drums, andguitar) and sometimesvocal percussion.[6] Vocaljazz ensembles consist of multiple voices alongside instrumental accompaniment.
Vocal jazzrepertoire typically includes music from theGreat American Songbook. Popular music arrangements are often made for vocal jazz ensembles.
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