Style of the Month! Jazz!

Every month I would like to dedicate a blog post to a specific style of vocal music. For May I want to write about Jazz. The neat thing about Jazz is that you don't need much technique or an amazing vocal range to sing it. Jazz is all about using the unique qualities of your voice and making the Jazz songs your own. I think of Jazz as a personal style that can be felt close to the heart. It is kind of like an extension of your speaking voice.

Microphones are especially important when singing Jazz. With a microphone, Jazz singers can whisper or sing in a breathy way and still be heard by a large audience. Using these kinds of techniques add much to Jazz and like I said earlier, make it more personal. Jazz singers should become comfortable with singing into microphones because microphones are a very beneficial tool to use with Jazz.

When singing or listening to Jazz, I tend to find my body moving with the beat. I love the beat! Jazz music has a unique sort of swing to it. For example, in a Jazz song in 4/4 time, the emphasized beats are beats 2 and 4. With so much attention put on these "off beats", the song is able to attain that swingin' and jazzy sound. One classic jazz singer is Frank Sinatra. I am sure you know of this well known star. In his song "Come Fly with Me", you can really hear and feel the "swing". Listen to this great Jazz song. You will notice that you begin to move and maybe even snap your fingers to the beat. It is hard not to!