Arguably the most adventurous female jazz singer of all time, Betty Carter was an idiosyncratic stylist and a restless improviser who pushed the limits of melody and harmony as much as any bebop horn player. The husky-voiced Carter was capable of radical, off-the-cuff reworkings of whatever she sang, abruptly changing tempos and dynamics, or... [+] Read More

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The founder of vocalese (putting recorded solos to words), Eddie Jefferson did not have a great voice, but he was one of the top jazz singers, getting the maximum out of what he had. He started out working as a tap dancer, but by the late '40s was singing and writing lyrics. A live session from 1949 (released on Spotlite) finds him pioneering... [+] Read More

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The genius of vocalese, Jon Hendricks' ability to write coherent lyrics to the most complex recorded improvisations is quite notable, as were his contributions to the classic jazz vocal group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Hendricks grew up in Toledo, OH, singing on local radio. After a period in the military (1942-1946), he studied law but... [+] Read More

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One of the best (and only) jazz vocal groups of the 1990s, the New York Voices use a repertoire that includes bop songs from the vocalese tradition, plus adaptations of more timely material from the jazz and pop worlds. Leader Darmon Meader (who also plays reeds and the EWI) had taken a vocal group to Europe in 1986 through Ithaca College, using... [+] Read More

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With its roots in gospel, doo wop, and the sophisticated jazz-influenced singing groups of mid-century America like the Hi-Los, the a cappella vocal group Take 6 is both a throwback to an earlier, more genteel era of American music and a precursor for a number of black male pop groups of the '90s (most notably Boyz II Men). Its members include... [+] Read More

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The harmony vocal group the Modernaires originally formed in Buffalo, NY, in 1935 (all of its members were high school pals), and were best known for singing with orchestras. Starting off as a trio (including members Hal Dickinson, Chuck Goldstein, and Bill Conway), the group would often assume a different name during these engagements, going by... [+] Read More

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The Nylons signed with Attic Records in 1981, just two years after forming in Toronto. Though the original members were Denis Simpson, Paul Cooper, Marc Connors and Claude Morrison, Simpson soon left. Ralph Cole replaced him for a year, but Arnold Robinson replaced Cole in 1980. The a cappella group's self-titled debut appeared in 1982, as did... [+] Read More

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An a cappella vocal group who recorded from the early-70s to the mid-'80s for Verve. The personnel included Bonnie Herman, Don Shelton, Len Dresslar, and Gene Puerling. ~ Ron Wynn, All Music Guide

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A French vocal group famed for tackling all manner of classical material (baroque, fugues, madrigals, orchestral overtures) and switching them to an a cappella swing setting, the Swingle Singers was formed in Paris during the early '60s by American expatriate Ward Swingle. By the time of their 1963 album debut, the group comprised eight... [+] Read More

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