I am in a jazz vocal workshop, and our last session will be a performance at a club in DC. We each have to pick 3 standards to perform – only one of which can be a ballad – and the instructor wants us to have our choices solidified by next week at the latest. I already have “Built For Comfort”* as one of my up-tempo songs, and tonight I’ll try out “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” as my ballad, but for some reason I’m having the hardest time picking another up-tempo song! I’m toying with “They Can’t Take That Away From Me” and maybe “All of Me,” but while they’re both great songs I find myself wondering what else I could do. I think maybe I’m overwhelmed by the options.
So, any suggestions/requests from my fellow jazz-loving Dopers? Oh yeah: I’m a woman, and my voice is more soprano than alto (so I’m no Etta James or Sarah Vaughan!).
*It’s blues, not jazz, but blues is “allowed” and that song’s a fun classic by Willie Dixon.
Have you ever heard Sugar? Katherine Whalen did it on her 1999 jazz album, but unfortunately I can’t find any clips of any of the vocals, just the music. It’s very jaunty, tho.
Not by a woman offhand, but check out John Pizzarelli and Harry Connick Jr. Here is a lady named Anita Harris singing it. Not too fast, but a nice swing:
Up standards - tough niche, really. A lot of good ones dropped off the list in the past 50 years, because singers so often prefer ballads or walking tempos. As a result the jazz listener’s ear is conditioned to hear a lot of the earlier stuff as cocktail or wallpaper music, meaning you’d have to blow it out of the water virtuosically to impress anyone.
Possibly relevant stat:
Google hits for up tempo standards: 57.
Google hits for ballad standards: 2,730. :eek:
I have my favorites, but I’m about 3/4 instrumentalist (sax) and 1/4 vocalist, so YMMV, because these are mostly tunes I like to play. But all have good lyrics and benefit from an up tempo, even if they were written as ballads.
(Note: some “go by too fast” and will need to be played as if twice as long, but in double time.)
First consider Cole Porter. His rep has an unusual number of tunes that work at different tempos. A few examples: What Is This Thing Called Love?
Just One of Those Things
It’s All Right with Me
Some others: My Shining Hour, Arlen-Mercer That Old Black Magic, Arlen-Mercer Without a Song, Youmans-Eliscu I’ll Remember April, Raye-Depaul The Song Is You, Kern-Hammerstein (warning: very tough changes) Speak Low, Weill-Nash
That’s all I can think of right now. I guess I convinced myself with my argument up above. :rolleyes:
Shit! I learned it off John Pizzarelli Live at Birdland, and I just went to check the case . . . sure enough, THIS Song is You! Take it up with Mr. Pizzarelli, who ought to know better, even if I don’t!
I like the two jazz standards albums that Lisa Ekdahl did – When Did You Leave Heaven and Back to Earth. I mention her because she seems to have a more soprono-ish type voice than your typical female jazz singer. There’s some up-tempo stuff on there, but I’m having a difficult time remembering what is and what isn’t without my mp3 player-- I know “Down with Love” is pretty up-tempo.
For soprano jazz, chack out Maureen McGovern. Yes, the lady who did “The Morning After” from The Poseidon Adventure. She did a fabulous live cabaret album of all Gershwin called Naughty Baby, and I can’t recommend it highly enough. Many up-tempo songs you might like to try.
WordMan, getting a list of songs is not my problem. As I said in the OP, there are a lot of options! What I’m looking for are specific recommendations (as you provided with “Let’s Do It”): songs that Dopers know and love and would want to hear if they were out at a jazz club.
Frim Fram Sauce is nice, if you can carry it off.
There’s an old Ella number called Doin’ the Uptown Lowdown that is fun.
Everything I’ve Got (Belongs To You), which I think is Rodgers & Hart, also fun, and good lyrics for a woman.
If you want a real tour de force, try Twisted (Annie Ross had the best version, I think).
Good luck, I did a workshop like that once at Blue Bear, but it was focused on group singing. I did do a solo number, and did Will You Still Be Mine? which someone has already recommended.
Roddy
Oh yeah: I’m a woman, and my voice is more soprano than alto (so I’m no Etta James or Sarah Vaughan!).
