best ever jazz vocal albums.

[hardbop grandpop]

what would you say are the greatest jazz vocal albums of all time. you can include swing vocal in your list. here are my picks to kick things off.
1frank sinatra-songs for swinging lovers-capitol
2ella fitzgerald-the cole porter songbook-verve
3mark murphy-rah-riverside
4anita o,day-sings the winners-verve
5lena horne-lena lovely and alive-rca
i know a lot of you will disagree with my list, so go ahead take me apart,and also give me your picks. gord

[Dorsetmike]

Gord, I'm afraid in my view Frank Sinatra was an entertainer rather than a singer, Mel Tormé was far and away better, and could sing jazz. Nat Cole was even more into Jazz. Unless you include blues artists then there were very few male singers who did much jazz.

Ella, Cleo Laine, Lena Horne, Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holliday all could sing jazz, the first two being my preferred ones.

Having said that I don't have much in the way of vocal jazz albums, preferring instrumentals.

[hardbop grandpop]

hi mike, sinatra really was the best male swing (not jazz) singer ever. he made a series of albums for capitol 1954-1963 that male singers everywhere just could not equal, never mind better. mel torme and nat cole as good as they were could not come close to him.(just my opinion of course) one other thing ella made a series of albums for verve at about the same time, that have never been equaled also. all the best gord

[Dorsetmike]

Hi Gord, we'll have to agree to differ on that one, I still think he was an entertainer primarily, who used to sing.

Changing the subject, I have a friend, at one time on line bridge partner, just up the road from you at Grimsby, assuming she's still alive, not heard from her in a while now.

[OLDUDE]

I find it very difficult to tell whether to class a singer as a jazz singer or not.
There has to be a positive attempt to use jazz style phrasing.
Mostly the likes of Sinatra and Ella do not do so, whereas Sarah Vaughan. Billie Holliday and Anita O'Day do.
Does it matter as long as you like the music?

[John Watt]

In a way it's too bad the old American Federation of Musicians' Union
isn't around any more to test you for their categories.
Can you sight read charts enough to sit in with visiting big bands?
Are you versatile enough to sit in as a replacement player?
Can you sing? Can you improvise? How many songs do you know?

Yeah, all those lovely professional musician categories.
I used to be in my favorites, lead-guitarist vocalist.
Now I'm not sure what my category is.

[teddy]

As I may have mentioned in the past I am a great fan of Teagarden and this is partly because he can carry the vocals as well as play the trombone. I have often wondered if I would have "discovered" him if he had not been a singer. It is not that I don't like instrumentals, more a case of I like the vocals.

teddy

[hardbop grandpop]

hi teddy,i am also a big fan of teagarden vocals. when i first started listening to jazz it was big ts vocals not so much his trombone that first grabbed me. that came later. i was a 19 year old kid and i had never heard singing like that before. those lps t for trombone, the blues and dixie and big ts jazz set me on a lifetime of pleasure listening to this great music. i have been a teagarden fan for 50 years and i always will be. gord

[escher]

1.abbey lincoln - straight ahead
my favorite vocal album, full stop. There's not swing but there are great compositions and lyrics, incredible arrangements, beautiful solos and a group composed by booker little, coleman hawkins, eric dolphy, mal waldron and max roach

2.hoagy carmichael - hoagy sings carmichael
one of the great composers of the gas, with amazing less known ballads like winter moon and ballad in blue.

3.Betty Carter - the audience
Incredibly swinging album with a great pianist, the rendition of my favorite things is probably the most energetic that i've ever listened.

4.Carmen Mcrae - Carmen sings Monk
a vocal album dedicated to the music of Monk. The rendition of Dear ruby is amazing.

5.William Parker with Leena Conquest - Corn meal dance
My favorite contemporary jazz singer with the great bassist. Something between the art ensemble of chicago with fontella bass (but with a much better singer) and Van Morrison

[teddy]

Hello escher and welcome to the forum, and particularly the jazz section.

Do you have any sound clips or links you would like to share

teddy

[gord]

hi escher and welcome. i hope to hear much more from you, because you certainly have good taste in jazz, just judging from your best vocal selections. gord

[escher]

thank you for the welcome!

Do you have any sound clips or links you would like to share

teddy

sure

Betty Carter
http://www.divshare.com/download/12554383-647
my favorite thing
http://www.divshare.com/download/12554227-42c
caribbean sun


Abbey Lincoln
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ca5Q5SGQJfI


William Parker/Leena Conquest
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2UFwSh28K9E


Hoagy Carmichael
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bVc4U7komsU
Winter moon
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9JbemOtc1mY
Ballad in blue


Carmen McRae
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NS_6u4UFM5c

[teddy]

Thanks for the links escher. I particularly liked the voice of Leena Conquest and will definitely search her out. Keep providing material like this and you will be VERY popular here

teddy

[marval]

Hello esher

Welcome to the forum, good to see your favourites. Will listen to your links, thank you for them.


Margaret

[escher]

Thanks for the links escher. I particularly liked the voice of Leena Conquest and will definitely search her out. Keep providing material like this and you will be VERY popular here

teddy

thank you but i'm definitely not an expert... anyway if there's someone else who like vocal jazz i'm obviously interested too. About Leena Conquest: there are two albums with William Parker, Corn meal dance and Raining on the moon, that is on the same level.
Some more songs that i like:

Art ensemble of chicago - theme de yoyo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=perVFDDy_xg

Nancy Wilson with Cannonball Adderley - Never will i marry (another great album)
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=glOd6g-iofE

Lorez Alexandria - Baltimore Oriole
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5LbY2EANfe4

Julie London - Cry me a river
"Julie is her name" is probably my favorite vocal jazz album with voice and guitar (and bass), Barney Kessel was a brilliant guitarist
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ByUOFV5TusE