Vocal Jazz Artist Spotlight
Sarah Vaughan’s “Sassy’s Blues” Listening Tips
In this lesson, we introduce jazz vocalist Sarah Vaughan and one of her famous tunes, “Sassy’s Blues.” We delve into listening tips to consider for a deeper understanding of Sarah’s jazz style—including her tone, rhythm and inflection.
Here are some further things to consider when listening to “Sassy’s Blues:”
Sarah uses a lot of dynamics throughout the entirety of this piece to make it more dramatic and tell a story. Dynamics refer to how loud or soft a musician is playing. How would you say she uses dynamics upon listening to the entire track? Where does she get loud? Where does she get soft?
Vocalists use syllables (nonsense words) when improvising. Sarah utilizes a lot of different syllables, but became known for syllables starting with “s” and “sh.” She does this perhaps to create a softer articulation. She frequently ends phrases with “b” or “d” syllables--to create more rhythmic intensity and swing. What ones might you try?
A final important detail to consider is how the band and Sarah interact together. Consider: how is her sense of rhythm/time working with the rhythm section? Specifically, does she sing within their swing feel or does she control it?
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