Vocal Jazz Artist Spotlight
Sarah Vaughan’s “Sassy’s Blues” Performance Tips
In this lesson, we explore how to sing the tune “Sassy’s Blues” together. Particular attention is given to vocal technique and style, including engaging in chest voice and breath support, singing with swing feel and smooth phrasing.
Considerations:
Download the attached PDF for more exercises to engage your chest voice. To ensure you are singing in chest voice, try to go back and forth between speaking and singing as demonstrated in the video. Does your tone remain the same?
Although not mentioned in the video, a next step to consider adding in your singing is vibrato. Vibrato refers to when a note wavers up and down at a fast pace. Jazz singers utilize vibrato frequently at the end of long notes for style effect. Notice that Sarah Vaughan tends to use full vibrato throughout the entirety of any held notes when singing, which is why many consider her vocal style similar to an opera singer. View the exercises in the same PDF to get started with finding vibrato on your own!
Refer to our “Swing When You Swing” lesson for more tips on developing a strong swing feel when singing “Sassy’s Blues”.
Want to send this video to your students? Use this link: https://youtu.be/SzH1izeuhSk