The effect of instrumental proficiency on jazz vocal improvisation

Abstract

The objective of this study is to compare and contrast the improvisational styles of select jazz vocalists to uncover any influences of prior instrumental skill. The deeper objective is to learn whether proficiency on an instrument is beneficial in performing an instrumentally influenced solo.

The research of these questions is twofold. First, a brief biographical profile of selected well-known vocal improvisers is explored and secondly, their styles are compared and contrasted through the analysis of selected excerpts of improvised solos. Those whose solos and biographies are analyzed are Ella Fitzgerald, Jon Hendricks, Anita O'Day, Sarah Vaughan, Mel Tormé, and Mark Murphy, three artists who are/were proficient on an instrument and three who are/were not.

The results of this study indicate that two out of three vocalists proficient on an instrument, particularly the piano, tend to have a greater ability to outline chord changes and sing modern harmony in comparison to the non-instrumentalists.