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Great Women Singers of the 20th Century (review)

2006; Music Library Association; Volume: 63; Issue: 1 Linguagem: Inglês

10.1353/not.2006.0083

1534-150X

Ray Anthony Briggs,

Musicology and Musical Analysis

Reviewed by: Great Women Singers of the 20th Century Ray Briggs Great Women Singers of the 20th Century. 4 vols. DVD. Sarah Vaughan (D2998); Nancy Wilson (D2984); Abbey Lincoln (D2989); Chaka Khan (D2999). West Long Branch, NJ: Kultur International Films, 2005. $19.99 each. The Great Women Singers of the 20th Century collection presents a wide variety of representative artists from the vocal jazz tradition. These are not volumed installations, but the selection of vocalists does offer an interesting sampling of performers with very different orientations. Although it is not stated as such in the liner notes, by juxtaposing the more traditional styles of Sarah Vaughan and Abbey Lincoln with the pop-influenced approaches of Nancy Wilson and Chaka Khan, the underlying theme of this collection appears to be one of how diverse jazz singing has been over the years. Each video captures a live performance of the featured artist in a concert setting or club date. With the exception of the Sarah Vaughan footage shot in 1985, all performances were filmed in the early 1990s. The most remarkable portion of this collection is indubitably the concert performance of Sarah Vaughan in Stamford, Connecticut. For the novice and well-versed jazz fan alike, this glimpse into the extraordinary artistry of Vaughan is a lesson in vocal jazz history. Given the moniker, "The Divine One," the late Sarah Vaughan took jazz singing to a whole new level. Her performance here only solidifies that claim. Of particular note, is Vaughan's rendition of the ballad, "Just to Say Goodbye," and the vocal gymnastics she displays on "Misty," when she indulges in male and female role-play. During a romping 12-bar blues closing the encore for the evening, Vaughan flashes some incredible scatting technique and even engages the audience with some call and response activity. Although not as memorable as Vaughan's performance, the contents of the other videos also have noteworthy highlights. Originally filmed for A&E's Biography television program, the Nancy Wilson footage from Blues Alley in Washington, D.C. was never released prior to this collection. A veteran performer of great renown, Wilson's repertoire ranges from jazz standards to the jazz-oriented adaptation of popular tunes. Of the latter variety she performs an interesting version of Bonnie Raitt's hit "I Can't Make You Love Me" and explores the possibilities of Frankie Valli's "Can't Take My Eyes Off of You." Abbey Lincoln is filmed at the Promenade Theatre in New York where she is accompanied by a host of "young lions" from the 1990s, including the avant-garde saxophonist, Steve Coleman. Although Lincoln has a very individualized and recognizable vocal timbre of her own, most of the set here is fairly lackluster, comprised mainly of medium to slow tempo ballads. Interestingly, the highlights of the evening occur when the instrumental solos take place, especially when Coleman is "in his element" and takes modal directions on the chord progressions. Pop diva, Chaka Khan, [End Page 185] is featured at the Blue Note in New York. This footage is especially significant in that it demonstrates Khan's jazz roots that are unbeknownst to many jazz and pop music fans. Khan's repertoire ranges from the show tunes of Gershwin to the fusion-laced compositions of Chick Corea. Regardless of the composition, she manages to put upon it her indelible, R&B-flavored mark for which she has become famous. Overall, the production quality of the collection is good. The audio quality is the most consistent throughout the collection and really provides an intimate musical experience for the viewer today. This is especially important when one sees and hears the almost magical rapport that veterans like Sarah Vaughan created with the live audience and her accompanying musicians. On the other hand, the audio may be too good (or else the performers too candid) when in several instances the recordings include bursts of "off-mic" profanity. The video quality is by far inferior to the audio. Among the shortcomings in this area is the shaky camera work in places, the sudden shifts in camera angles, and the abrupt panning techniques that in a split second move from wide...