Billie or Ella? Maria or Renata? Technique or feeling?


I stand back to no one in my admiration for Ella Fitzgerald's technique but all the vocal fireworks make for precious little emotion. Billie Holiday on the other hand makes you feel she's singing just for you.

Technique vs emotion also goes in listening to Renata Tebaldi (superb technique) and Maria Callas who like Lady Day makes you feel she's singing just for you.

David Oistrakh was a violinist who combined flawless technique with raw emotion. Sviatoslav Richter was his counterpart on piano. Their modern day successors are Julia Fischer on violin and Daniil Trifonov on piano.

chowkwan

With respect to Billie Holiday vs Ella Fitzgerald, I find that the emotion that Ella conveys is more subtle, but it's there. Billie Holiday can be a bit over the top for me.

A late posting by me.

Billie Holliday "Lady In Satin" with Ray Ellis Orchestra.  The feeling in those aging textured vocals with marvelous backing.    IMO it was her best.

Ella's "Songbook" will always be extraordinary.

@tylermunns 

"I consider jazz to be that singular, unique, original music of Parker, Gillespie, Davis, Monk, Coltrane, Mingus, Roach, we could go on and on, and further on into the ‘60s and ‘70s, Coleman, Taylor, Art Ensemble of Chicago, I could go on.  I really get excited by the music of those last three, plus Don Cherry, Roland Kirk, again, I could go on.  That’s my take".

And my take is that Jazz is first and foremost an improvisatory language whose character is not defined by whether the material being playing is original to the artist. 

We can simply agree to disagree and leave it at that. 

 

 

@stuartk ”an improvisatory language.” That’s not vague at all.

Any kind of fancy, martini-clinking music with improvisation in it? Okay.  

I’ll just wear a tux to my next gig and start scatting and getting all busy with my extemporaneous playing, doing a Katy Perry cover. That’ll be, “jazz.”

Not to start a flame war, but @stuartk, is Ravel's Piano Concerto jazz?

https://www.you_tube.com/watch?v=cJOW5mlhH_Y

* remove underscore in word youtube.

** what a rare and delicate treat for the laureates!