Vocal Jazz Reviews by Carol Jacobe(Professor of Voice and Vocal Jazz at Le Moyne College).

One of the musts for vocal jazz educators is to become familiar with Sound Music Publications (www.smpjazz.com). Many of the leading vocal jazz arrangers  such as Kirk Marcy, Paris Rutherford, Vijay Singh, Michele Weir, Randy Crenshaw and Frank De Miero can be found here.  Purchasing the arrangement for an average of $55.00 gives you permission to run as many copies as you need.

A particular favorite of my students has been Kirk Marcy’s “This Little Light of Mine.” The chart opens with a great rubato rendition of the traditional melody that can be artistically colored by your student, followed by a gospel shuffle  that continually builds harmonically from one section to the next.  In the middle of it is a great a cappella section, which slows the pace down for a moment, but immediately takes off with a bang to the end.  There is plenty of room for improvisation, both with scatting and melodic interpretation.  This is a great crowd pleaser and a dynamite closer.

Published through Hal Leonard Corp., is Kirby Shaw’s arrangement of  the Nat King Cole classic, “Unforgettable.” First impression was harmonic “lush.” A very well written out piano part with guitar, bass, and drum parts available, this Kirby arrangement will give your ensemble an opportunity to show off their blend.   The very rich tight harmonies in the opening set the mood for the entire arrangement.  The middle section makes use of lyric imitation, which could easily be used as a duet for male and female.  The arrangement is very accessible for high school ensembles and will warm the hearts of your audience.

If you are familiar with Greg Jasperse’s Voice Dance arrangements and have enjoyed them, you might like to look into Kirby Shaw’s “Joy Sounds I and II”.  Published by Hal Leonard Corp., his new arrangement this year is based on the Swahili “Imba wimbo wakona”(sing songs forever) which is the text for the entire arrangement.  This a cappella arrangement is made up of counterpoint that weaves into a nice rhythmic flow provided by the bass line.  The upper three parts move rhythmically together for the most part, while the bass line provides counterpoint.  The middle section provides some imitation between the upper and lower voices.  You’ll find the melodic content very catchy and easy to learn. This is a great a cappella piece that will change the pace on your jazz concert.