The book vocal jazz artists have been waiting for! Finally, here is a substantial definition of what vocal jazz artists actually do physically and vocally. The findings are based on over three decades of teaching and almost four years of acoustic research including a study of 20 jazz artists from the first generation of modern jazz singers. Learn 9 different uses of vibrato. Learn how to practice and execute appropriate vowels, diphthongs and text treatment so as to sound more authentic. Study 10 common elements of 6 complete transcriptions of scat/improvised solos that can improve your artistry and authenticity as a jazz vocalist. Diana Spradling teaches graduate and undergraduate jazz voice and vocal pedagogy at Western Michigan University. She is also the founding Director of the Applied Studio Technology Laboratory (ASTL), a state-of-the-art lab that acoustically analyzes sound and measures vocal behaviors such as vowel clarity, vibrato rate and width, presence and absence of legato, onsets, releases, resonance, nasality and laryngeal freedom to name a few. Students who have studied with her during the last decade include several university-appointed jazz voice professors, seven Downbeat Award winners, two Monk Institute finalists, one Monk Institute graduate scholar, two JAS Aspen participants, on and off Broadway performers, members of national touring companies, recording artists, club singers, studio musicians, jingle singers, cabaret performers, and a Grammy nominee. |
