Male Jazz singers - any recommendations?

To each his own, and I wouldn't deny you your joy. But I just can't stand Chet Baker's voice. He was flat, off key and had no range or dynamics. Just an over rated pretty boy junkie "pop" Jazz marketing tool. He left behind a rather infamous reputation. I should be more forgiving of the dead, but I just don't understand what the fuss was about. I will say he did play with some of the most lyrical, intellectual and imaginative musicians of his era. Mind you, I have even less talent.

About Chet that is the rap.And he played my ear and couldn't read music.And starting in the 60's he would record for anybody,anytine to feed his drug habit.But many feel his voice while not long in technique and range is emotionally affecting nontheless.And listen to early Lp's like "Smokin'" on Roultte or "In New York" on Riverside.He could play.And while so much in the 70's was crap if anybody can find "Candy" on Gazell or hear the "The Last Great Concert" well to me Chet had a natural lyricism that these julliard wunderkinds of today with all there chops just don't have.But yes it was a spotty and even legitamtely debatable career.

Bbtuna, I think that Tom Waits "Nighthawks at the diner" certainly qualifies as a Jazz recording. Now some of you will think me inconsistent recommending this Tom Waits (HIGHLY!) recording after I just blasted Chet Baker's voice.
Waits is hardly a vocal virtuoso. But he is a poet. On this recording he reminds me of a beatnik Bob Dylan with a clever sense of humor. Not all of his music is like this! It's quite amazing how eclectic he can be. Certainly a lot of his music would not be considered Jazz.

Chazzbo, I'll give most anybody one more try at entertaining me. Are any of the above recommendations available on CD?

Louis Armstrong is the unquestioned king of the jazz vocal genre. There really is no one else who comes close in skill, technique and phrasing. The fact that he could achieve all of that with a voice which was not classically beautiful is all the more a testament to his talent. In addition, he was immensely popular. In his time, he was more popular than the Beatles were in theirs.

Bing Crosby and Frank Sinatra are generally considered to be pop singers, not jazz singers.

Among the great jazz crooners, Nat King Cole and Billy Eckstine stand at the top. Other than to us audiophiles, Johnny Hartman made a relatively small impression on the music scene, although his talent is up there with Billy Eckstine and the two of them sound quite similar.