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So at audio shows and dealers you will invariably get a steady diet of Diana Krall - how about some Female singers in the same Jazz ballpark - but perhaps better? And well recorded?I will start with Chantal Chamberland - since she is also Canadian.
Have ideas - make some suggestions.
Edits: 06/21/19Follow Ups:
I read a few weeks ago that male singing voices are actually more difficult to reproduce as their range can be within the low frequency to mid frequency crossover range. So why all the chick singers for audiophile stuff? Because they sound better as they are above this region. Play Frank and Ella and you'll know what the rig can do. Play music that you like, not audio geek approved stuff.
A lot of systems exhibit sibilant traits that female vocals can show up. Perhaps there are just a lot more female vocalists that people tend to like over male vocalists. At least in modern times. When one has to go back to mention Frank Sinatra we're reaching.
I bring a variety of recordings but a lot of the rooms at CAS for example - had no CD player in the room. Many could not play the music I had on a flash drive. And I can't fly to these cities with a bunch of vinyl.
So that leaves me listening to THEIR playlist. Indeed some rooms would only play their approved music.
Those rooms tend to do less well in my evaluations because everyone's taste in music is different. They play their favourite well recorded music but that doesn't mean other people will like it.
And I actually like the female lounge singer music - I just want to hear variety - even within this genre.
I always play a male vocalist in my auditions as well. Jackson Browne is one of my favorites and his acoustic Vol 1 and 2 are well recorded. I often play The Pretender because I like the piano in that one. This year I also played Lewis Capaldi and Mark Knopfler.
Sadly I had a lot of music on my flash drive and some of the suggestions made below - including Ella and Frank!! I never did get a chance to play a single one.
I sort of laugh that some of these rooms lug in 300lb speakers and 200lb amplifiers and yet can't be bothered to bring in a 10lb CD player! Afraid it will beat their $5000 computer based front end I guess.
If one could fall in love by just hearing a voice, I would be head-over-heels in love with Mrs. Cuesta-Loeb.
"Man, that mouse is Awesome." - Kaemon (referring to Jerry, of Tom and Jerry fame)
Super sultry voice, nice recordings, multiple albums with lots of classic tunes.
nt
No one mentions Ella, Anita, Dee Dee, etc. etc.? This list is huge!
Americana/Alt Country is wonderful to listen to on a top rate system:
Rosanne Cash
The Wailin' Jenny's
Gillian Welch
A few others:
Judith Owen
Melody Gardot
Jane Monheit
a CD or two! Here's one of my favorite female jazz singers... I saw her years ago @ the Cinegrill in Hollywood. On stage she oozes sex appeal!
Edits: 07/25/19
Really nice
Gsquared
About a decade ago a friend and I went to a stereo dealer's house for a demo. Great setup with Daedalus Audio speakers and NuForce amps. We brought a few discs to play. The gentleman started with Eva Cassidy - quite memorable. And then we hit him with this CD. He IMMEDIATELY wanted to know the name of it to add to his demo rotation. Link to same at CD Baby. I could have done an Amazon link as well.
Ella Fitzgerald on Pablo- just about all LPs are well recorded as are true first pressings on Verve
Sarah Vaughn and Clifford Brown. Yes it is mono but the Sonics are sublime ! Sarah is in the room and Clifford sounds like he captured lightning in his horn.
Rickee Lee Jones. Pop-Pop. Extremely well recorded and great tunes.
Dusty in Memphis Rumor has it that Dusty was close to a nervous breakdown while recoding this title. A good system fully communicates her raw emotion.
Dionne Warwick just abt anything on Sceptor. Hyped up big production pop with mixes so sumptuous and liquid you feel like a Roman emperor taking a bath ! You can hear the space of the studio. You can place instruments behind Dionne. A guilty pleasure if you will.
As for the pablum heard at most shows, I think Jacintha, L Stanley and R Partridge earn more from show play royalties than actual recoding sales.
and carmen mcrae. after a long time admiring sarah, carmen became rather a replacement. great jazz singer.
...regards...tr
*
Featured (and IMPERATIVE) to Santana's new Africa Speaks.The BEST thing he's done in decades IMO.
Argue the genre, but this tunes is certainly "jazz".
Bear in mind: no blues, no jazz.
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination"-Michael McClure
Edits: 06/23/19
aa
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
I carry a Canadian female singer's albums for auditioning. Yep, Joni is the one for me, especially the 'Blue' album.
As for live albums I consider Whitney Houston (bless her soul) the greatest whatever others may say.
There are some female singers on speaker demos on YTube which are simply unbearable.
Bill
Very well recorded and strong orchestration.
Yeah, a good recording. The Ladies of the Canyon is also good. But I find my favorite 'Blue' a below par recording. It is a pity as I listen to it so many times.
Bill
I think most complaints about pop singers tend not to be their vocals but the style of music they sing - Whitney had a superb voice.
You may want to give Glennis Grace a listen as she is As close to Whitney as there is right now. Also Sings Whitney standards
Not only well recorded/performed all the folks consumed by (music) genre
issues/constrictions/restrictions/blinders can have a ball trying to assign
such to this brilliant masterwork.
Hopefully NOT while it's playing!
"Once this was all Black Plasma and Imagination" -Michael McClure
nt
I agree. I get so tired of the same female jazz singers used as demos. I prefer something a bit more interesting, for instance Laurie Anderson. This video doesnt show the full fidelity that her CD does. I have been a fan of hers for years.
Agreed. Big fan here as well. Fond memories of her United States Live show back in the early 80's, which I recall seeing at UCLA. Anything other than the same formulaic jazz.
Well you have a choice - male vocals and female vocals - I want to hear vocals when I audition gear as contrary to popular belief humans are far better at determining quality of vocals than violins or pianos.
Besides audio shows also play the same male singer vocals to - Eagles Hotel California, Nils Lofgren's Keith Don't Go, Eric Clapton. Bah - but this thread is for the ladies.
Personally I prefer female singers to male singers generally and I suspect that is the case for most audiophiles who attend shows.
I have no problem with a room having female vocals - I would just like to hear something other than Diana Krall, Patricia Barber, and Norah Jones. I don't consider these three to be particularly great vocalists in their genre either - though they tend to be well recorded which is likely why they're chosen.
I would suggest Opera but it usually drives most people out of the room.
So I am fairly sure people can think of ONE female singer in existence that they like and who is reasonably well recorded and who rarely if ever gets a play at a show.
There are even rockier singers like Stevie Nicks recorded in hi rez or Joan Jett who could be used.
Brittny Hayes of Unleash the Archers - though metal will also drive people from the room. Kind of a Harder metal version of Nightwish.
There are so many out there.
I use Beth Hart and Joe Bonamassa (linked below) or Aurora or LP or KD Lang or Eva Cassidy or Sophie Milman, or Kat Edmonston. There are so so many it is painful to hear a total lack of originality from most demos - probably indicates that there is a lack of originality in the design of their speakers and amplifiers too.
Kiri?
Joan Sutherland?
Nowadays, since I don't keep up, who in female opera might you listen to?
Patricia J. attached. Thought it was good.
Nt
NT
So I knew her a little I guess.
I really like Mazzy Star. Her voice on those discs is so haunting. Not bad on the eyes, either.
A few years ago at T.H.E Show in Newport Beach I was in the TAD room and Andrew Jones was presenting (so it was a few years ago). He asked for requests "do you have female vocals" was the request.
"Only if I am surprised in the shower" was the reply.
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