Jazz combo leaders/directors, why not add a vocalist to your combo? It is high time we taught vocalists how to sing jazz the same way we teach instrumentalists how to play jazz: by enabling them to actively participate in the musical experience within a small jazz ensemble. Don’t get me wrong, I’m not suggesting that singing in a vocal jazz ensemble isn’t an excellent way to learn the sound and the style of this music, just as for a young horn player a large jazz ensemble is a great starting point, one voice within a section....

International Association for Jazz Education

DownBeat Magazine

Published Articles

Wayne Shorter's composition "Beauty and The Beast," which I recorded on the new CD Lunar Octave (DMP) leaves the vocal soloist faced with the challenge of negotiating a complicated harmonic chord progression within an aggressive rhythmic setting. This particular recording also illustrates the use of non-bebop vocal sounds for contemporary improvisation....

Jazz Educators Journal

For some time now, jazz instrumentalists have utilized solo transcription as a learning device to enhance their improvisatory skills. In this article I would like to suggest that the practice of transcribing and learning to sing instrumental jazz solos remains a relatively untapped resource which can be invaluable tool for the aspiring jazz vocalist.