>I wrote:
>
>> I'm currently looking for singers for my vocal quintet who can sing
>> jazz without sounding like jazz singers, classical music without
>> sounding like classical singers, bluegrass without sounding like
>> bluegrass singers, and folk music without sounding like folk singers.
and Peggy responded:
>I'm wondering: Why do you want for your group jazz singers
>who don't sound like jazz singers, etc.? Really - I'd love
>to hear more about your artistic aims.
Peggy, thank you for your interest. My vocal quintet performs a
repertoire that spans a number of genres, classical, jazz, folk, and
bluegrass among them. For maximum contrast in a program we might
follow a Nocturne by Chopin with blues by Miles Davis. If we sound
like classical singers when singing Chopin and jazz singers when
singing Miles Davis, I think that we would sound foolish. My
intention is that we just sing the music without enacting compulsions
associated with genres.
A story may help to explain my ideas. I was once rehearsing with a
soprano that was going to do a gig with my quintet. We were working
on a hymn that I wrote and no matter what I suggested she kept
sounding like an opera singer. We moved on to "So What" by Miles
Davis. In response to my bass line on the guitar all the soprano had
to sing was B (dotted quarter) A (eighth) with the syllables bah-dup.
The first time she sang the figure I was astounded at the beauty and
clarity and straightforwardness of her sound. I told her that THAT
was her authentic voice and that she ought to sing everything like
that. She replied that she wasn't familiar with "So What" and didn't
know what to do with it. We went back to the hymn and she went right
back to being an opera singer (thinking that she knew what to do with
it). I had her sing the "So What" figure and then go immediately to
the hymn. Gradually by alternating between "So What" and the hymn she
was able to feel that she was doing something with the hymn that she
wasn't doing with "So What". Gradually she was able to stop doing
that with the hymn and just sing it.
I think that the key to the soprano finding her authentic voice had
to do with her being unfamiliar with "So What" and not knowing what
to do with it. Her performance had exactly the right sort of naïveté.
I often say that I want my singers to "just sing". I could also say
that I want them to sing naïvely.
Some examples in sound might also be helpful. On my CD "Live at Saint
Peter's" Raïssa Dorff sings both my "Blues" and "La Fille aux Cheveux
de Lin" by Debussy. The former has a range from G below middle C to
Eb a minor tenth above middle C, while the latter has range from B
below middle C to E above high C. You can hear the recordings here:
Blues: http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/1181/1181006.html
La Fille: http://artists.mp3s.com/artist_song/1181/1181373.html
I think Raïssa sings these two very different compositions with no
attempt to manipulate her sound. I find that she just sings the
music. She doesn't say, "This is a classical piece so I'll put on my
classical voice" and "This is a jazz piece so I'll put on my jazz
voice".
What might be more instructive would examples of my Blues sung with a
jazz voice caricature and La Fille sung with a classical voice
caricature. Too bad I don't have such recordings as examples. Can you
imagine how they might be sound? THAT'S what I intend to avoid.
Sincerely,
John Link
http:/www.cdBaby.com/JohnLink
Check out my CDs:
http://www.cdBaby.com/JohnLink2 (John Link Sextet)
http://www.cdBaby.com/JohnLink (John Link Vocal Quintet)
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