Anita Wardell (born 23 August 1961) is an English jazz singer, renowned for her scat singing. [1] [2]
Wardell was born in Guildford, Surrey, in England and raised in Australia. [1] [2] She studied jazz at Adelaide University before singing at festivals with James Morrison, Don Burrows, and Richie Cole. [2] She then returned to her studies, this time in the UK at Guildhall School of Music and Drama. [2] In 1994 she recorded as a duo with drummer John Stevens. [2] During the following year, she released an album in a duo with Liam Noble. [2]
She has taught a jazz course in the Loire department of France. [1] Wardell is an accomplished scat singer and is noted for her vocalised version of Lee Morgan's solo from "Moanin'". [1] [3]
She won the BBC Best of Jazz Award in 2006. [1]
Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American singer, songwriter and composer, sometimes referred to as the "First Lady of Song", "Queen of Jazz", and "Lady Ella". She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, timing, intonation, absolute pitch, and a "horn-like" improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.
Originating in vocal jazz, scat singing or scatting is vocal improvisation with wordless vocables, nonsense syllables or without words at all. In scat singing, the singer improvises melodies and rhythms using the voice solely as an instrument rather than a speaking medium. This is different from vocalese, which uses recognizable lyrics that are sung to pre-existing instrumental solos.
Anita Belle Colton, known professionally as Anita O'Day, was an American jazz singer and self proclaimed “song stylist” widely admired for her sense of rhythm and dynamics, and her early big band appearances that shattered the traditional image of the "girl singer". Refusing to pander to any female stereotype, O'Day presented herself as a "hip" jazz musician, wearing a band jacket and skirt as opposed to an evening gown. She changed her surname from Colton to O'Day, pig Latin for "dough", slang for money.
Vocal music is a type of singing performed by one or more singers, either with instrumental accompaniment, or without instrumental accompaniment, in which singing provides the main focus of the piece. Music which employs singing but does not feature it prominently is generally considered to be instrumental music as is music without singing. Music without any non-vocal instrumental accompaniment is referred to as a cappella.
Vocalese is a style of jazz singing in which words are added to an instrumental soloist's improvisation.
The Pointer Sisters are an American girl group from Oakland, California, who achieved mainstream success during the 1970s and 1980s. Their repertoire has included such diverse genres as R&B, pop, jazz, electronic music, bebop, blues, soul, funk, dance, country, and rock. The Pointer Sisters have won three Grammy Awards and received a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame in 1994. The group had 13 US top 20 hits between 1973 and 1985.
Dianne Elizabeth Reeves is an American jazz singer.
Annie Ross was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the influential jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. She pioneered the vocalese style of jazz singing, with a style described by critic Dave Gelly as "a kind of dreamy watchfulness that is a definition of 1950s hip." In 2010, she was named a Jazz Master by the National Endowment for the Arts.
Betty Carter was an American jazz singer known for her improvisational technique, scatting and other complex musical abilities that demonstrated her vocal talent and imaginative interpretation of lyrics and melodies. Vocalist Carmen McRae once remarked: "There's really only one jazz singer—only one: Betty Carter."
Bonnie Bramlett is an American singer and occasional actress known for performing with her husband, Delaney Bramlett, as Delaney & Bonnie. She continues to sing as a solo artist.
Rachelle Ferrell is an American vocalist and musician. Although she has had some success in the mainstream R&B, pop, gospel and classical music scenes, she is noted for her talents as a contemporary jazz singer. In contemporary jazz she is noted for her delivery, control, range, improvisational vocal percussion, scatting ability and access to the whistle register.
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Live at Yoshi's is a 1998 live album by Dee Dee Bridgewater, recorded at Yoshi's Jazz Club in Oakland, California, United States.
Lorez Alexandria was an American jazz singer, described as "one of the most gifted and underrated jazz singers of the twentieth century". She became established in the midwest before moving to Los Angeles in the mid-1960s. Jazz critics have compared her to Dinah Washington, Sarah Vaughan, Carmen McRae, and Ella Fitzgerald.
Cheryl Bentyne is a jazz singer who spent much of her career with The Manhattan Transfer.
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Thaeme Mariôto is a Brazilian pop singer and songwriter. She rose to fame after winning the second season of the reality television show Ídolos Brazil. After Idolos, she enjoyed a solo career, prior to joining the sertanejo duo Thaeme & Thiago alongside Thiago.
Theresa "Terry" Devon was a British jazz singer. She worked as a hairdresser in her father's business but switched to singing after winning a crooning competition on Radio Luxembourg. She joined the Billy Thorburn orchestra and her first record was released in 1938. She was heard weekly on the BBC radio comedy programme Take It From Here. Devon later became a vocalist for the Tito Burns jazz Septet, developing the skill of scat singing. Burns and Devon married in November 1948. She stopped singing professionally and helped her husband to manage notable singers.
Olivia Trummer is a German jazz.