There are many ways to vocalize in jazz, with variations all the way from straight vocals to the nonsensical improvising of scat singing, but one of the more unusual types would have to be something known as vocalese. It's generally defined as the addition of lyrics to well-known instrumental solos, often as a tribute to … Continue reading Eddie Jefferson – The Master Of Vocalese
Category: Jazz
The Odyssey Of Mickey Baker
In an earlier post about the Bonnie Sisters, I mentioned that they'd been helped along by Mickey Baker, a talented guitarist who would later be part of the R&B duo Mickey & Sylvia. But even though he and his performing partner struck gold in 1957 with "Love Is Strange," Mickey Baker might have been a … Continue reading The Odyssey Of Mickey Baker
Fantastic Foursome – A Song For The Season
We haven't had a Fantastic Foursome for a while, so maybe I should explain the idea for those newer visitors who haven't run across it before. It's a recurring special feature that spotlights a particular song, and then offers the chance to listen to four different versions and vote for your favorite. The song we're … Continue reading Fantastic Foursome – A Song For The Season
The Music Of The Sopranos
Most know by now that James Gandofini has unexpectedly died in Rome from an apparent heart attack. Not surprisingly, there are countless articles exploding into the media stream about the 51-year-old actor, and even though he had a diverse career most are centered around his iconic gangster character, Tony Soprano. We're doing the same here … Continue reading The Music Of The Sopranos
Buddy And Ella Johnson – The Rest Of The Story
A while back, one of our Anatomy of a Song posts featured the Lenny Welch classic, "Since I Fell For You." It also mentioned that the song had been written by Buddy Johnson, and was first performed by his band with a vocal by his sister Ella. I thought we should dig a little deeper … Continue reading Buddy And Ella Johnson – The Rest Of The Story
The Bookended Career Of Joe Venuti
One of the legends of jazz, a violinist who pioneered improvisational play, Giuseppe 'Joe' Venuti had a career that lasted more than a half-century. In the 1920s and early 1930s he teamed up with his buddy, the equally talented guitarist Eddie Lang, to dazzle jazz fans of that era, and in the decade before his … Continue reading The Bookended Career Of Joe Venuti
The Subtle Style Of Chris Connor
A lot of different words are used by music critics when describing a performer, but while gathering info for this piece I was a little surprised to see 'subtle' applied to the singing style of jazz vocalist Chris Conner. On the other hand, it does seem to fit the talented singer, who died in 2009 … Continue reading The Subtle Style Of Chris Connor
Remembering The Girls In The Band
A familiar line that has been used in live shows for years is 'let's hear it for the boys in the band'. Additionally, Boys In The Band (albeit with a different meaning) has been the title of both a play and a movie, so it has become a familiar phrase. A new documentary takes advantage … Continue reading Remembering The Girls In The Band
The Musical Side Of Polly Bergen
I don't know about you, but even though I knew Polly Bergen could sing, I have always thought of her as an actress. In fact, I was doing just that -- thinking about her -- not too long ago when I read a story about the odds of Hillary Clinton becoming president, because one of … Continue reading The Musical Side Of Polly Bergen
Strange Creatures Abound
The easy availability of image-editing software has opened the floodgates for lots of people with good imaginations. One specialty seems to be creating imaginary hybrid animals. In the slideshow below you can see some of those strange creatures. They're all imaginary -- I think -- but some of them are still a little creepy. Dominik … Continue reading Strange Creatures Abound
Geezer Music Club 