Jazz Legend: From Intimate Trio Formats to Big Bands - Research Paper Example

Ernestine Anderson Ernestine Anderson the all-time jazz and blues singer has earned her title of “jazz legend” (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). The great maestro has been named “Best New Vocal Star” in Down Beat’s 1959 Critics Poll (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). “Years of singing and living have shaped a vocalist who can make your heart cry one moment and dance the next.” (“Ernestine Anderson” 1) From intimate trio formats to big bands, Ernestine leaves her mark in all with seductive sophistication (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). The versatility of the jazz star can be recognized with her sultry, sensuous voice which sounds intimate in small club settings and the same soars with passionate intensity in the festival arena (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). “Whether it’s Ellington or Sting, Ms. Anderson’s interpretation of a song is infectious.” (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). The lady has been absolutely charming and vivacious on stage and her joy in the music has been delighting audiences from Sweden to Japan (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). The jazz expert has already recorded over 30 albums and has performed at all the major jazz festivals along with receiving four Grammy nominations (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). Ernestine has been one of the 75 women who were selected for the book, I Dream a World: Portraits of Black Women Who Changed America, by Pulitzer Prize winning photographer Brian Lanker (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). Some of Ernestine’s popular expertise encompasses Hot Cargo in 1958, Never Make Your Move Too Soon in 1981, Big City in 1983, Now and Then in 1993, Blues, News & Love News in 1996, Isn’t It Romantic in 1998, etc. (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). Apart from down-home blues, poignant ballads and sassy swing are also her specialties (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). Her all-time favorite, blues is a vocal and instrumental form of music which is based on the blue notes (“Blues”). The typical instruments of blues encompass guitar, piano, harmonica, bass, drums, saxophone, vocals, trumpet and trombone (“Blues”). Its most popular derivative form is jazz (“Blues”). Among Ernestine’s stunning success, Never Make Your Move Too Soon recorded in 1981 and Now and Then recorded in 1993 are worth listening. Both the recordings reflect her as a virtuoso of the blues and both have been a Grammy nominee (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). Both the recordings reveal a true jazz and blues vocalist extraordinaire. The title song of the album Never Make Your Move Too Soon on track number one is typical of her sometimes bluesy but always gritty trademark style (“Ernestine Makes Her Move”). The title track of 119 BPM is excellent and the repetition of the lines “I'm just a man who plays the blues” reflects the vocalist’s emphasis on blues. Anderson has sung with superb clarity and beautiful diction (“Ernestine Anderson” 2). The way she uses her subtle slurs and inflections firmly puts her in that top quality little group of true jazz vocalists (“Ernestine Anderson” 2). According to Derek Ansell of New Note, “By the simple expedient of changing the stress on one word in every five or six, she makes very personal statements on seven hardy standards and one blues” (“Ernestine Anderson” 2). Ansell further comments, “If the old songs are the best – and they often are – her choice of material is inspired on this album” (“Ernestine Anderson” 2). According to Medium, 1993, “Now and Then covers an enormous amount of musical territory, ranging from the rollicking “Jazz Street,” a bluesy tune that’s as funky as Texas barbecue to the compelling classicism of such standards as “My Funny Valentine,” delicately rendered with just guitar and voice” (“Ernestine Anderson” 2). This album of Anderson is a beautiful blend of jazz, blues and ballad. “One Child”, a radio favorite is a provocative contemporary ballad whereas “No Easy Way” signifies a brilliantly sung blues (“Ernestine Anderson” 2). Moreover, adding to the diversity, Anderson made her much waited debut as a song-writer, presenting “Ain’t No Way” and “Wrong Number”, the first song she has ever written (“Ernestine Anderson” 2). The music by this prodigy to a great extent is cutting edge and quite new to the ear. However, it does contain some influences from other jazz artists and styles. Her influences mainly include Bessie Smith, Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan (Freeman). Still, at no point of time does Ernestine’s music sound to contain any influences from artists and styles other than those reflecting jazz, blues, swings and ballads. This can be understood by the fact that when, sometime back jazz was losing its popularity in the U.S. due to the changing musical tastes, the maestro moved to Europe to pursue her career in pure jazz (“Ernestine Anderson” 1). Jazz music is probably one of the trendiest forms of music in the modern scenario to have the entire world tuned to its rocking beats and Ernestine Anderson has remained throughout as one of the best maestros the jazz world ever possessed. Listening to both the albums of Ernestine’s, Never Make Your Move Too Soon and Now and Then has been a sheer pleasure. Through these soul-touching albums of the jazz genius, the art of singing pure, straight-from-the-roots jazz has been clearly revealed. In both the music-collections Ernestine has been extremely poignant in her approach. The jazz star has sung blues with total authority and has been successful in delivering standards with a salty edge reminiscent of Dinah Washington. The songs are remarkably overlooked and should be in every jazz lover’s library. These can be highly recommended for those who have passion for good music. Anita Baker Anita Baker, the rhythm and blues maestro was born in Toledo, Ohio on 26th January, 1958 (Johnson). Popularly referred to as the ‘quiet storm singer’, Baker has been a profound lover of jazz, gospel and traditional pop too. Throughout her childhood she has been greatly influenced by the top jazz singers, Sarah Vaughan, Nancy Wilson and Ella Fitzgerald. In the struggling years of her career Baker even worked as a receptionist in a firm of lawyers. In 1982, Otis Smith gave Baker her first popular break. Though her debut album, The Songstress, did not make her an ipso facto, it certainly provided her a strong platform and led her signing up with Elektra in 1985 (Johnson). Rapture, in 1986, became her milestone enabling her to grab the Grammy winning smash. “Caught Up in the Rapture” and “Sweet Love” are her evergreen classics (Johnson). The title song of the release Giving You the Best That I Got in 1988 showered her with two more Grammys, for best Female R&B Vocal and best R&B Song (Johnson). In her following album, Compositions in 1990, Baker emerged as a powerful songwriter as well as a virtuoso in jazz. After her next release, Rhythm of Love in 1994, Baker took a break for almost a decade for raising up her family along with her contractual disputes with Elektra (“Anita Baker”). In 2003, Baker came back with a band with her album, My Everything which ranked first among Top R&B/Hip-Hop Albums. Next came her first Christian album, Christmas Fantasy in 2005 (“Anita Baker”). In 2007, the rhythm and blues celebrity bagged for the Grammy Award nomination in 2007 for Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance for “Christmas Time is Here” (“Anita Baker”). Her series of concerts began from An Evening with Anita Baker in 2008 and encompasses her special performance from “My Everything” in New York on a Valentine’s Day (“Anita Baker”). Bibliography “Anita Baker”. Soulwalking. n.d. 19 Nov. 2010. . “Blues”. Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 14 March. 2008. 15 Mar. 2008. . “Ernestine Anderson: Jazz and blues with a touch of class”. Ernestine Anderson. Feb. 2004. 15 Mar. 2008: 1. . “Ernestine Anderson: Jazz and blues with a touch of class”. Ernestine Anderson. 10 Jan. 2004. 15 Mar. 2008: 2. . “Ernestine Makes Her Move”. Greg Hester Jazz. 21 Feb. 2005. 15 Mar. 2008. . Freeman, Paul. “Anderson remains timeless jazz songstress”. Burlingame Daily News. 22 June. 2007. 15 Mar. 2008. . Johnson, Bree. “Biography for Anita Baker”. IMDb. n.d. 19 Nov. 2010. . Read More