Carry on, Dame Cleo

[BLUESNIK'S REVOX]

I've don't damn for lapse of taste. I'm probably this forums biggest advocate for Ray Charles. In his later career his lapses of taste, in material and treatment, were often eye rolling. I blame the gin in the Harvard mug. And I don't doubt both Dankworth's ability, contribution and essential decency. The only strike against Cleo that I remember is her being somewhat disparaging about Betty Carter's vocal "excesses" in that jazz vocal series. OK perhaps, but from Cleo?

My beef is that I just do not like her singing. That simple, that deviant. Not very Christmas spirit, but ...

[Quarky]

. Cleo's encyclopaedic knowledge of jazz singing as equally impressive and I produced the 4 part radio 3 series that she did with her daughter Jacqui on female jazz singers (http://genome.ch.bbc.co.uk/8ac6a8f0d...0f0d76d8f147ed)..

A great pity that is no longer available. Certainly the art of delivery of a song is the perennial key issue with Jazz singers, in my very humble opinion. All too often, a singer might force herself/ himself into improvising on the notes because that is the done thing, but with an artificial result. And as for scat, that's certainly my bête noire, and needs to be kept tightly in rein. Satchmo is one of the few that did it quite naturally. Betty Carter certainly OTT. My personal view, of course.

[Serial_Apologist]

And as for scat, that's certainly my bête noire, and needs to be kept tightly in rein. Satchmo is one of the few that did it quite naturally.

That's because he forgot the words! - apocryphally. Actually I doubt that story about that spoken of session being the origin of scat. I was doing it before I could speak!

[Cockney Sparrow]

Jazz music isn't my thing - I light on jazz style music occasionally to follow up, but I wouldn't know if it qualified as authentic or not. I can't recall ever looking at a Jazz thread on FoR3 (sorry!).

I won't go on - so being positive I do like good, or great and accomplished vocalists in any genre - like a musical magpie, I come upon performers who really engage me.

I see S.Apologist drew attention to the TV compilation "Jazz Divas Gold" which now has 5 days left to run on the iplayer:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode/b01sbxqy/jazz-divas-gold

The big biggie this week is marked this Saturday (30 May) by two and a half hours' worth of non-schedule clashing jazz on BBC2 TV:
……..9.30pm Ella Fitzgerald: Just One of Those Things…………….
……….
11pm - Jazz Divas Gold
Archive performances by acclaimed female jazz artists, featuring Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee, Blossom Dearie, Nina Simone, Cleo Laine, Marion Montgomery, Betty Carter, Sarah Vaughan, Eartha Kitt and Amy Winehouse. ……..

I channel hopped into the Jazz Divas programme when it was broadcast and was interested enough to watch. I used to go to Wavendon and see Marion Montgomery with R Rodney Bennet, and once/twice Cleo & Co.

……. Certainly the art of delivery of a song is the perennial key issue with Jazz singers, in my very humble opinion. All too often, a singer might force herself/ himself into improvising on the notes because that is the done thing, but with an artificial result………

I wanted in particular to mention Dianne Reeves (at 30 minutes) performing Sergio Mendes "Like A Lover" - sorry if its not a jazz song. I thought her performance was really masterful in all respects and importantly she conveyed the song so very well. The piano is present lightly but I really appreciate the restraint which perfectly underpins her performance. I've got a recording - its one to listen to again, and again.

It doesn't suffer from being followed by Nina Simone……

(Oh - and Cleo is on twice - firstly in a vocal trio at the start (in Black and White, 1965) - in an extraordinary dress, no doubt "of its time".)

[Barbirollians]

We all have our musical dead spots and Cleo Laine’s voice and singing is mine . I thought she and Johnny Dankworth were what jazz was until my late teens from their frequent television appearances in the 1970s and 1980s and that I really did not like it then I discovered Billie Holiday and Miles Davis and realised it did not have to sound like that

[teamsaint]

We all have our musical dead spots and Cleo Laine’s voice and singing is mine . I thought she and Johnny Dankworth were what jazz was until my late teens from their frequent television appearances in the 1970s and 1980s and that I really did not like it then I discovered Billie Holiday and Miles Davis and realised it did not have to sound like that

Johnny Dankworgh’s Million Dollar Collection and Zodiac Variations, along with some of his other music from around that time are one of my favourite discoveries from the last couple of years. If you don’t know them , then I really do suggest giving them a listen. ( I have Serial Apologist to thank for that).

Meanwhile.....time and weather for a bit of “ On the Corner”.....