Archives: Episode 36, What Makes it Jazz Singing, w. Micah Barnes

Since Toronto singer Micah Barnes has been doing a ‘virtual tour’ of his new album, I thought this would be a good time to re-post a podcast of an interview I did with him in 2017—-where he talked about some of his favourite jazz singers. The topic was ‘what makes a vocal a jazz vocal.

I also posted part of a conversation between my favourite singer, Gene (Eugene) McDaniels and pianist Tom Snow where Gene demonstrates jazz singing and talks about his own jazz roots.

You’ll hear selections by Bessie Smith, Billie Holiday, Aretha Franklin, Willie Nelson, Eileen Farrell (demonstrating what jazz singing is NOT), Sarah Vaughan, Ellen Doty, Nat King Cole, Amy Winehouse, and, of course, Micah Barnes himself.