THE JAZZ GREAT COLLECTION SERIES: DISC 3 OF 27: GREAT JAZZ VOCALISTS

Tracks

1.Bessie Smith - I Need A Little Sugar In My Bowl
2.Billie Holiday - The Very Thought Of You
3.Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong - Cheek To Cheek
4.Ray Charles - Georgia On My Mind
5.Frank Sinatra - Fly Me To The Moon
6.Tony Bennett and Lady Gaga - The Lady Is A Tramp

1. Bessie Smith got her start busking on the streets with her brother, but by the end of her
short life she would be the acknowledged Empress of the blues after signing with Columbia
Records. Her musical character was sexually adventurous, as was her life, but her beautiful,
powerful voice and soulful character gave her a broad appeal that was undeniable.
In this recording from Columbia Records in 1931, she sings lyrics of a typical blues
theme; her man is gone, and she needs romance. The chord progression is entirely unrelated to
the traditional blues, but, lyrically, the song fits into the blues genre. There are moments where
the words being expressed are more important than the musicality - especially towards the
ends, she breaks into something more like musical speaking. This conversational and freer
approach to phrasing is to develop further as jazz itself develops. Listen in this track for the
interaction between the piano and Bessie; how the instrument fills in the gaps in her vocal lines
and responds to her melody.

2. Lady Day was one of the seminal influences on early pop jazz singing; her
straightforward but personal approach to songs that have since become long standards proved
their timeless nature. The Very Thought Of You, written by Sid Ascher, originally published in
1934, has been recorded hundreds of times by stars like Bing Crosby, has those sort of cheesy
and simple lyrics that express basic ideas on which Billie seems to richly expound through the
simple tone qualities and inflections of her voice. Though her success was matched by woe, she
left behind some wonderful recordings, of which this is one.
This tune is a great example of the writing of this style. Billie really accents the rhymes
that are woven into the lines, not just the ones at the end of the lines. This is noticeable in lines
like youll never KNOW how SLOW the hours GO until Im near to you. Between her singing,
there is a clarinet solo, followed by a trombone solo. The rhythm section plods along in the
background in quarter notes; this is a fine example of the classic jazz band ballad.

3. Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong both had impressive careers in their own rights, but
they also made a sublime set of recordings together in 1956. This record featured tasteful duet
renditions of standard jazz ballads. Cheek to Cheek, a 1935 film number by Irving Berlin, is one
of the finest on this collection, which is itself altogether one of the pinnacles of popular jazz
singing.
The track starts out with Louis singing the head with a straight-ahead beat. Oscar
Peterson fills every space with grooving piano fills, and when Ella enters the drums pick up a
new swing. After each of them sing a lengthy section on their own, they join together in
harmony. This part is really excellent; their voices complement each other so well, and the
excellent characteristics of each of these performers seem to resonate with the others.



4. Ray Charles is respected for his work in upbeat soul and rhythm and blues, but he also
took to many standard tunes later in his career, lending them a unique blend of soulful influence
which often fits well into the tune. His cover of Hoagy Carmichael and Stuart Gorrells Georgia
On My Mind is a great example of this; Ray himself was a native of Georgia.
He sings the song tenderly and slowly, but, this being a live tv performance, there is no
room for any soloing; just the head, and what licks can be fit in there. This take on an old
standard still has a freshness, with the unusual accompanying instrument and the energy Ray
Charles could put into all of his music.

5. If its not Louis Armstrong, probably the most known name in jazz is Frank Sinatra. He
had a long rein as the king of crooners, starting his career in the swing era but recorded and
toured into the 1990s. In 1964, he and the Count Basie band recorded this Bart Howard tune
Fly Me To The Moon for their album It Might As Well Be Swing.
The piece starts out with a drum solo that establishes the basic beat. This is a finely-
arranged piece, which builds from a cool and reserved beginning to some big peaks at the end
of the last head. Basie has some really juicy piano parts in this number as well.

6. Tony Bennett is an all-around artist; he and his wife founded the Frank Sinatra School of
the Arts in NYC where performers are trained in all aspects of being an entertainer; song,
dance, acting, and other arts. He is a successful painter as well as singer. In recent years, he
has made a series of duet albums with contemporary pop singers. These albums feature jazz
standards played in a big band style, giving fans of the pop singers exposure to new sounds.
Fans of Lady Gaga may have been surprised to hear her singing the old show tune The Lady Is
A Tramp, but even those who dont follow her would have to admit she sings this one well.
This is a very typical big band arrangement, with lots of brass and a hot tempo. The little
banter between Bennett and Gaga also add to the ambience of the song. The songs theme is
tossed playfully back and forth between them, as well as a scat solo handled the same way.
This is a fun number and helped to bring jazz into the repertoire of one of Americas significant
contemporary pop artists.


Citations by track
(If audio source is not listed, the recording is from the top Youtube result for the song and artist)

1. The info about her starting out busking; originally from Allens biography Bessie.

2. Wikipedia supplied the information on The Very Thought Of You.

3.

4. The audio for this one would come from this live version, which I can not find more info on.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Thls_tMuFkc . It is the third result for the youtube search ray
charles georgia on my mind.

5.

6.