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Jazz Singing

Yes Strange as it may seem I have started Jazz singing recently, and I love it.  I was looking for something social to take up after my divorce, and my very good friend Helen Baden, suggested coming to watch her one Saturday lunchtime sing at college. There she introduced me to several great singers, including Zena James.  I have a very eclectic music taste, but had never really got into jazz, so was sceptical as to whether this would be for me, but I was pleasantly surprised.

I signed up for the course in the September 2005 at Richmond Adult Community College, and thought originally that it would just be a social thing, to increase my circle of friends.  This it has done greatly, but to my shock I have found that I am doing well at the singing too.  An upside as well is that I am also strengthening what breathing abilities I have left. After a recent cold I found that the usual difficulty of breathing and lack of energy was a lot less.

The type of jazz I sing is what is known as the 'American Songbook' or 'Jazz Standards'.  This includes a wide range of well know songs and artists, and my favourites are Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Harry Connick Jnr, Madaline Peyroux and Louis Armstrong.

I have also started writing my own lyrics for songs, and have been lucky enough to have the score written by my teacher and great friend Fergus O'Kelly.