2. music
  3. 158924-136265

Jazz vocalists which may not be as real as we think/imagine

Sure we could include all genres of vocalists,  but lets focus on jazz performers,,for instance , take Diana Krall. 
I have a  pile of cds that i do not listen to, old rock,,, 2 are my wife's she picked up as gifts, and never listened.
So I figured maybe I can use DK's as a  test reference recording.
Her 1999 and 2001, both seem to my ears her voice is somehow ~~tweeked~~ laid out with modern aids such as EQ's and such.
My Q is , can we really consider DK's voice to be The Real Deal,,, or a  perhaps a toch of  ~ The Fake if not perhaps, bordering on, fraud. 
I really can not use her cds in my testing of new tweeks, mods, , Her voice comes across wayyyy too warm = Colored = a nono for my ears. 
I am after pure cold frigid, icy clean mountain spring water. 
Anyway, justa  random thought,, what say ye? Have you noticed this quirk among other jazz performers such as Sophie Milman, which btw , i do use in  my YT vid uploads of testing reference on tweeks/mods/upgrades. 
Her voice is at least somewhat more~~ a  natural~, Just barely,,had her engineers gonea  tad too far in tweeking, I may have to  also disreagrd her cds. 
Sure you might object and claim all recordings post 1985, have these intrusions of tweeking /EQing the voice, as a  makeover. 
I don't know, maybe in the past 20 yrs things have gotten out of hand. 
So cast your vote, is DK's voice real deal,, or a  tad fake?
Can she perform unpluged as she does on high tech studio records?
mozartfan

Showing 1 response by elliottbnewcombjr

elliottbnewcombjr
5,243 posts
 
As for Diana, I didn’t meet her, (and without eavesdropping) in small narrow aisle antique store in New Orleans, heard her conversation with Harry Connick, Jr. (After a long look up and down at Diana, I was busy looking at Harry’s model wife, whew). Hoping Donna didn’t notice my mouth hanging open.

Point is, I heard both of their actual unamplified voices. Next day we saw/heard Diana perform in big tent at NO Jazz Festival, amplified sounded ’correct’. Same thing next day with Harry.

We heard Harry perform in big lobby of bldg in NYC, sound system so bad you would not know it was his voice.

Saw/heard Diana live/amplified 3 other times, once with Tony Bennett Radio City, she always sounded very much like herself. Same with Tony, we have seen/heard him live/amplified 6 times, always the same. Both of these artists have pro’s looking out for them.

Neither of them needs any help electronically, eq adjust, auto-tune, ... they are great singers.

My problem with Diana is she sings too much, and plays too little. I first heard her playing piano, not singing, on WBGO Jazz radio. Caught my ear, so good I waited to the end when they tell you who that was. Awesome pianist, didn’t know she could sing, or the legs, the looks, ....




More to discover