Jazz Ain’t Nothing But Soul + Wave, Rock, Punk and Pop 1980s

The definition of a “jazz singer” has profoundly expanded since the days of the Great American Song book commanding the bulk of the repertoire. Style, genre, and repertoire have synthesized with or blurred the lines between broad swaths of various traditions. There is now space for just as much global folk, R&B, rock, classical, and other current style influences as there is for jazz vocal traditions in the creative choices of contemporary singers. Improvisation approaches too, having been built upon the scat singing roots of jazz, have expanded in a myriad of ways for singers. This course explores the many facets of the modern “jazz singer,” including diversifying repertoire, new ways to explore vocal improvisation, creative arrangement approaches, and style synthesis.