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Choral Caffeine: Is This a Dirty Word?

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I’m going to say what is for many in the choral profession, a dirty word.  Brace yourselves.
 
                   Jazz.
 
I guarantee that a lot of folks instantly clicked away.  If you are still here, then take just a few seconds to consider what James McCullough has to say in his article, "To Jazz or Not to Jazz" (Central Division Resound, Spring 2010).
 
“Why don’t more of us choral directors offer our students a jazz choir/jazz ensemble experience?  In my way of thinking, a choir program at any high school will benefit greatly from offering vocal jazz.”
 
“My auditioned ensemble sings around our community and for our schools. These students are great ambassadors. If I had a dollar for every jazz arrangement of the “Star Spangled Banner” our Jazz singers have performed in the past 25 years, I believe I could retire five years early! We offer four regular choral and four separate jazz choir concerts every year. At each regular choral concert, one of the jazz choirs sings an unaccompanied arrangement to expose theyounger singers and parents to this important American art form. More students have auditioned each year based on this important recruiting tool. Let’s face it. Only a few choir kids may attend jazz concerts, so we take this musical style to them.”
 
“To Jazz or Not to Jazz is a choice for all choral directors. For many, it may mean getting out of a well-worn comfort zone and expanding ones musicianship.  Vocal jazz is fun, rewarding, creative, and worth your investment of time. It is also great for our students and for our music programs. How about giving vocal jazz a try at your school?
 
Visit today’s ChoralBuzz for a little taste of vocal jazz from ACDA’s 2011 National Conference.
 
(To access the full article, simply click the highlighted title. For additional articles on a dazzling array of choral topics, visit  ChorTeach.)
 

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Comments

  2. except jazz really isn’t about harmonies.  There aren’t many harmonies in jazz that didn’t exist by Debussy or Les Six.  Jazz is rhythm, the expression of melodic line through rhythm.  That’s also its difficulty, especially in an ensemble, especially a vocal ensemble.  I think the McCullough article is good as far as pointing to what is important for a jazz performance.  But the primacy in jazz is rhythm, what is called “swing” (though that sounds dated now).  A somewhat out-of-tune but swinging ensemble will out perform an ensemble with perfect pitch but no groove when it come to jazz.
     
    John Bickerton

  3. I have a vocal jazz ensemble rather than a show choir as the extra-curricular ensemble in my school and I couldn’t agree more. The difficulty of jazz music and the need to keep the dissonances in tune has the added benefit of better intonation in my traditional choral ensembles. I also must respectfully disagree with Mr. Palmer’s knee jerk reaction to “jazzing up” the Star-Spangled Banner. I know that there is a protocol to the presentation of our National Anthem and that it should never be used as a “performance” per se. However, there are several very respectful arrangements using jazz harmonies that stretch the student’s musicianship while presenting the National Anthem in a tasteful and interesting manner. Darmon Meader’s arrangement is the one that my group uses. The harmonies used enhance the emotion of the piece. Keep on raising the jazz banner Mr. Dorsey!
     
    David Headings
    Upper Sandusky High School
    Upper Sandusky, Ohio

  4. The fact that you “Jazz up” the national anthem tells the story of today’s cultural condition – largely devoid of taste and respect. (In my opinion)
    Sorry!
    EP

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