Learning to sing jazz

People have recently been asking me about my background in vocal training and how I came to be a jazz singer. I have never had any formal training, although in my late teens I had several lessons with a family friend (Alison Bryan) who taught me things about vowel pronounciation and breath control which shaped and improved my singing technique. This had a classical focus - Alison was not a jazz fan - but it was an essential and valuable education. I grew up in a household listening to Radio 3 and The Carpenters. Many jazz musicians spend their childhood with Ella Fitzgerald or Miles Davis in the background, but my parents - despite being excellent musicians themselves - were not into jazz, nor were they very knowledgeable on the subject (my Dad had never heard ‘My Funny Valentine’ until I sang it at a gig last year). It was when singing in The Orpheus Choir of North Herts, that one day we were rehearsing an arrangement of ‘Every Time We Say Goodbye’ and I remember thinking ‘This isn’t how it’s supposed to go!’ I longed to be freer with the melody - putting an emphasis on the important lyrics. The jazz was in me! My secondary school housed a jazz band (North Herts Youth Jazz Orchestra) for weekly rehearsals, and I joined as a flautist (although it started off as a way to kill time whilst waiting for a driving lesson. I soon changed my driving lesson time!). One day the singer was absent. I thought to myself, ‘Well, I can sing,’ but had never before sung jazz, or listened to anyone singing jazz, so I wish I’d thought twice before volunteering. The song was Billie Holiday’s beautiful ballad ‘Don’t Explain.’ I’m good at sight-reading, so I sang exactly what the copy said - complete with full semi-breves and crotchets rigidly in time. Where had my inner-jazzer gone?! The following week, the band’s singer returned and sang it properly. I was very embarrassed at the thought of my attempt! But still I didn’t learn. Another time the singer was absent and this time the song was ‘Wave,’ a Jobim bossa. The melody on the copy starts on a B above middle C, and quickly rises to a top G/A. As I shrieked out the notes, the bandleader stopped the rehearsal and quickly relegated me back to my flute seat. My first exposure to real jazz was hearing an old NYJO album - Shades of Blue and Green - which I found to be a fine record: exciting, moving, thrilling and awesome. By this time I had made new friends with other jazz musicians, and they introduced me to recordings of Natalie Cole, Carmen McCrae, Ella Fitzgerald, Peggy Lee and Sarah Vaughan. My jazz education had begun. It soon developed with the discovery of Nancy Wilson, Shirley Horn and Kurt Elling. As a professional I have had lessons from several singers whom I admire and find inspiring, including Claire Martin and Georgia Mancio. And still I continue to learn - at every gig I go to you’ll find me scribbling notes at particularly inspiring moments. I try to listen to a wide range of vocalists performing different genres, so that I might emulate the things I enjoy about what I’m listening to. Hopefully in the future, young singers will be listening to me for the same reason!

Forthcoming gigs - November and December

I'm very excited about two forthcoming gigs collaborating with the brilliant arranger/composer/trumpeter/band leader Mark Armstrong. You can view all the gig details at www.sarahellenhughes.co.uk/gigs, or please find below a chronological list.

Saturday 31st October (that's practically November!)

Wycombe Swan with the Mark Armstrong Big Band.

Charity gig.

7:30 start, £20/15/10 tickets.

Friday 6th November

Blackheath Halls with the Mark Armstrong Quartet.

Charity gig.

8pm start, £35 (which includes a £20 donation to the charities)

Sunday 29th November

The Bull's Head, Barnes, with NYJO's Tomorrow's Face.

8:30 start, £10 entry.

NEWS: September - October 2009

I've had an interesting two months - I've had my turn at being a visiting singer with various house bands and jam sessions.

I started September by singing with the Barry Green trio at the Spice of Life. You can read a review of my performance by clicking here. It was a wonderful night of music, and well supported by friends, family and jazz fans alike. The Spice of Life has a great basement bar/jazz club, and the jazz nights (Wednesday and Thursday) are the highlight of a busy week of nightly music. Fantastic singers are featured each Wednesday night, and there frequent open mics to showcase your talent in this reputable venue.

I twice had the pleasure of singing on stage at Ronnie Scott's, unfortunately not yet in my own right, but firstly as an invited guest during a set from Derek Nash, and then again as an invited guest with the house band after the Worshipful Company of Musician's annual young jazz musician competition. Very enjoyable!

Another highlight was singing as a guest with King Candy and the Sugar Push at the A-Train in Hammersmith, which is a weekly Thursday night swing dance club. I had just 3 days to learn 2 sets of swing dance songs - which was a great challenge, but very enjoyable. Singing the likes of Anita O'Day and the Andrews Sisters was great fun, and I hope they'll ask me to join them again one day soon.

Moving into October, I visited Mycenae House one Monday evening to sing a couple of tunes with the house band. I was incredibly impressed with the wonderful piano playing of Phil Mead, and the bass of Dave Moses. It was great to get up to sing with a house band who knew my chosen songs so well - there was a lot of musical freedom which isn't always achievable without rehearsal. I hope to be there again before too long.

The following Monday saw me at the King's Head in Bexley for Bexley Jazz club - appearing once again as Derek Nash's guest. I had the pleasure of singing 4 songs with the house band which features the amazing bassist Joe Mudele. He's had an incredible career and is still going strong at 80-something. A great privilege to sing alongside.

So that's the news so far for September and October. November and December appear to be just as promising, as they'll be packed full of promotional work for my forthcoming debut album. More news to come in December!

Thanks for reading

Sarah .x

Cool Bandzoogle website of the day

Yesterday my website - www.sarahellenhughes.co.uk - was voted 'Cool Bandzoogle Website of the Day' (bandzoogle is the company that owns the website program).

I've given it a make-over so it's more accessible and interesting. I've got a guestbook so if you wish to comment on this then please do!

Singing Pop - Undermining Jazz?

I'm just recovering from a pop gig, although from where the band was standing it was more funk. As a jazz singer I guess I used to be opposed to singing in the pop style - as doesn't that 'undermine' one's integrity as a jazz artisit? But I've got used to it, in terms of being expected to be able to sing pop when requested - as a professional singer I have learnt that I need to be versatile enough to translate my voice into a variety of styles without the listener thinking: "Isn't she a jazz singer trying to sing pop?"

I've also learnt that the more I sing it, the better I get at it, and the more I enjoy it. A happy circle!

As well as that, the better the musicians around you, the more I am likely to elaborate upon the original melody or words, giving it the 'Sarah Ellen Hughes' treatment! That's always enjoyable, and that was certainly the case last night.

I've grown to accept that the chord sequences aren't particularly daring or interesting in some pop tunes (although Just the two of us is always a surprising treat) - and I guess the rest of the band think the same too - but the delight being able to groove along to a bit of Stevie Wonder or Abba and not quite knowing where it's going is certainly worth a break from my jazz repertoire.

So is singing pop undermining jazz? - I certainly don't think so, and neither, it seemed, did the audience!

SEH - Sunday 13th September - 2pm - still in pyjamas!