A history of female jazz singers

City Lit

Course

In London

£ 89 VAT inc.

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Description

  • Type

    Course

  • Location

    London

  • Start date

    Different dates available

This course aims surveys the voices and the songs of female jazz singers from the very beginnings of jazz singing at the turn of the twentieth century to today.

It will introduce you to key jazz vocalists, some of whom helped develop and evolve the style and who were influential not only on later singers, but also on a wide variety of other musicians.

We will place the work of female jazz singers in a historical context and using some classic recordings as examples, we will develop a ‘roadmap’ to encourage you to go on listening, reading and exploring great female jazz singers long after the course has finished.

Facilities

Location

Start date

London
See map
Keeley Street, Covent Garden, WC2B 4BA

Start date

Different dates availableEnrolment now open

About this course

-You will gain an overview of key female jazz singers from the turn of the Century through to the present day and how they are portrayed in popular culture.
- You will be able to clearly distinguish some of the key jazz vocalists (female) who emerged in the last 100 years.
- You will be able to better distinguish some of the stylistic traits of these particular jazz vocalists, what made them sound unique, and why some of them became so popular.

If you wish to take notes, please bring a notebook and pen. You may wish to buy some of the music or books recommended in class.

You will be taught using a range of techniques including short lectures, slide shows and discussions, practical demonstrations on the piano and guided listening sessions. Courses use a variety of materials including audio recordings, DVDs and youtube clips.

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Reviews

Subjects

  • Singing
  • Jazz

Course programme

- A review of the origins of jazz singing looking in particular at some of the early blues singers, as well as studying some of the vocalists to emerge out of New Orleans, and later on from other parts of the U.S.
- our focus will be on female jazz vocalists and how they developed their style, including singers Ma Rainey, Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan, Anita O’Day, Dinah Washington, Nina Simone, Peggy Lee, Betty Carter, and more.
- You will look at how many of these vocalists were both a part of and contributed to or influenced popular culture.
- You will look at how the singers evolved their own individual style.

Additional information

We recommend ( MD650) Jazz piano: a history from blues to bebop and beyond. Starting 1st March To find out more about music appreciation classes and to read some of our recommendations, please see the blog post Music history and appreciation: the 2018/19 programme which lists our full programme of classes listed by term, and by day of the week. You may then click on each title to read the full course outline. General information and advice on courses at City Lit is available from the Student Centre and Library on Monday to Friday from 12:00 – 19:00. See the course guide for term dates and further details

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A history of female jazz singers

£ 89 VAT inc.

The best Music courses

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