Ella Fitzgerald, without question. |
Sarah Vaughan with Ella a close second |
I'll second Rayhall's & IMO, her best was Clap Hands Here Comes Charlie -- EXCEPTIONAL! |
Thats a hard one to answer because at any given time a female singer with any good material will move you. But if I had to I would say Ella,Vaughan,Bessie Smith and Kelly Smith,Holiday and Washington. There are more just to early in the morning. Also try some Lena Horn not a true Blues or jazz singer but a fabulous voice. I guess we have to stick to he old standards becaue your not going to find them on American idol. |
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Sarah Vaughan and Helen Humes come to mind. |
You need to hear SHirley Horn album,Here`s to Life.You are
missing out on a real gemm. |
Billie is a stylist but Ella is a vocalist. |
blues...the late great jo ann kelly.....jazz,ella, nina simone.....r&b, aretha, etta, millie jackson |
You could also look for Carmen Lundy and Carmen mcrae and have a listen. |
Ella was a great jazz singer as was sarah vaughn. In a big band format Ella was IMHO better as she always sang in her head voice and could really swing. In small groups I prefer sarah as she sang from her chest and throat which is really great to listen to with a scotch in hand. Ella was NOT a blues singer period. Sara was a pianist and a stylist and had more in common with bop and harmonics than she did the blues. Billie Holiday sang ( stylized - whatever) from a sense of the deep blues which is why she shines with people like lester young etc. IMHO these three represent the cream of the crop of three different schools : swing, bop, and blues. The divisions are not clear cut but they are meaningful. - Jim |
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There are too many good ones to limit it to one...and I agree with all that have been mentioned.
My personal female Jazz vocalist that I listen to nearly every week would be.
Ella, Sarah, Carmen, Shirley, Rosemary Clooney (try the Johnny Mercer tribute CD, Helen Merrill. Believe it or not, Anne Murray did a CD of standards(kinda Jazz, but not realy) a decade or more ago that is quite good....a review from the magazine Stereo Review called her the female Frank Sanatra on that CD. |
Gentlemen, Thank you for your recommendations. I've been listening to more female vocals lately and this gives me a direction to pursue. Thanks again! Best regards, Stan |
I'm a big fan of Betty Carter as a jazz vocalist,and Big Maybelle as an unbelievable Blues,R"n"B singer her Okeh Sessions re-released on Epic in '83 with "Rain Down Rain" and "You'll Never Know" "Whole Lotta Shakiin'" are required listening. |
Stan, another great vocalist who has not yet been mentioned here is Anita O'Day. If you can get hold of the nine-disc set by Mosaic Records, you'll be in heaven.
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Another vote for Sarah Vaughan |
Ella of course, including a vote for best "scat" style.
Closer to this era, I have really enjoyed Kellye Gray as an obscure talent. Her "Standards in Gray" is a hugely overlooked performance. What I find interesting about Ms. Gray is that she also uses her voice as an instrument - with some remarkable chops I might add. There's a cover of "All Blues" on this disc with her doing the trumpet parts on vocal. That takes a lot of...guts. She pulls it off though, and she can scat too. |
Sarah Vaughan had one of the great vocal instruments of the last century. That high bari to mezzo range of hers was peerless. She also had a bop saxophonist's understanding of harmony, phrasing and rhythmic development that so many emulate but none equal. Live, she would make you swoon with her sweeping, multi-octave portamentos. I witnessed the entirety of Carnegie Hall heave a communal sigh as she glided through an introduction of "How High the Moon". Still, she could mail-in lyrics from time to time. |
Sarah Vaughan, Ella, and Anita O'Day really do it for me. Carmen McCrae is also great.
I saw Anita O'Day a few years ago at the Iridium on Broadway, NYC a few blocks from where I live. Being in her 80's it was not the greatest, but I was thrilled to see her and there were a few moments when her old magic shone through. I never realized she was still alive. |
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Gentlemen, Thanks again for all the great responses. I've just ordered two cds... "Sarah Vaughan with Clifford Brown" circa 1954 Universal Records (Japan) & "No Count Sarah" circa 1958 Mercury (Japan). Both are recent Japanese remasters. I'm looking forward to hearing them. Too bad the Japanese remaster of "At Mr Kelly's" circa 1958 was backordered. I thought that that would be one of her better releases. I plan on buying a few cds every couple weeks. Shirley Horn and Anita O'day are on my short list, among others mentioned. Best wishes, Stan |
Nina Simone - Blues
Dinah Washington - Jazz
Enjoy |
She's none of the above, but give either of Julia Fordam's first two cd's a try and you'll see why her 19 year old cd Porcelain made Stereophile's "Records to Die For" this year. |
Shirley Horn and Etta James get a lot of play here. |
Nancy Wilson with Cannonball Adderley!! Nancy Wilson, I will repeat, come on guys and gals..this thread ended way too soon....thats all you have? Try some Nancy...fall in love... |
