Top 5 Jazz Vocal Performances Of 2011
How many ways can you sing a song? Why do some pieces work only with certain vocalists? Why is it so rare to have the right fit between a singer and a song? Is it simply a matter of arrangement, or does the style and sensibility of a particular vocalist lend itself to making a piece “work”?
These five tunes — all from excellent 2011 releases — exemplify how great singers and great songs fit together. In each case, the vocal sound, style and personality of the singer slips into the theme and structure of each tune like a proverbial glove.
Kurt Elling | “Samurai Cowboy”
Jazz raconteur, scat singer and beat-boxer; sophisticated man-about-town and lovable goofball; philosopher and poet, romantic and comic. How does any song fit into the polyglot world of Kurt Elling? The answer lies in “Samurai Cowboy,” a mix of all of the above. Bassist Marc Johnson wrote the melody, which Elling playfully transforms into a rhythmic, twisty, philosophical treatise, referencing Descartes, the physics of aerobics and aliens inside your mind.
Sophie Millman | “Do It Again”
Sachal Vasandani | “All the Way”
Norah Jones and Charlie Haden | “Ill Wind”
Eliane Elias | Light My Fire”