Sunday Jammin’ 20th December

The jazz singers add an inimitable dimension to the lexicon of jazz. The famous names illuminate our memories of significant moments in our lives and the special celebrations of each year such as the Christmas season which is upon us now. I think all of us have heard enough Christmas music as we move around Sydney, so I don’t propose to play any jazzy Christmas music but I will focus on the great singers of jazz this Sunday.

Perhaps the doyen of vocal jazz is Billie Holiday. I will certainly play some examples of her singing. There will also be songs from Nina Simone, Abbey Lincoln, Ray Charles, Betty Carter and Nancy King. Ella Fitzgerald will be a feature together with Louis Armstrong. Chet Baker sings and plays as does Diana Krall. Edith Piaf will add her style and a French flavour to proceedings and, as always, there will be instrumentalists featuring with and without vocalists. Something for everyone!

Please join me for Sunday Jammin’ between 7am and 10am this Sunday, December 20th on 89.7FM or via the web at eastsidefm.org.

Billie Holiday, was an American jazz musician and singer-songwriter with a career spanning nearly thirty years. Nicknamed “Lady Day” by her friend and music partner Lester Young, Holiday had a seminal influence on jazz music and pop singing. Her vocal style, strongly inspired by jazz instrumentalists, pioneered a new way of manipulating phrasing and tempo. Holiday was known for her vocal delivery and improvisation skills, which made up for her limited range and lack of formal music education. Holiday is the recipient of four Grammy awards, all of them posthumous awards for Best Historical Album. Furthermore, Holiday herself was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1973.