divas

Now and again - in fact, quite often - I am approached by singers of the female persuasion. They want to sing. They want the limelight. They want recognition of their talent. They want audience adulation. Whatever it is that they want, they see me as a conduit for their aspirations. I have achieved a modicum of success on the Toronto scene (the emphasis being on the word "modicum") and so I assume it's natural for people to gravitate towards someone they percieve as potentially helpful. Absolutely nothing wrong with that. Nevertheless, here are a few words of unsolicited - but well meant - advice:

First of all, before you even think of the business end of it, be passionate about your singing. Sing all the time. Learn new tunes all the time. Study. Work on your intonation. Practice. Learn more new tunes. If at all possible, learn the rudiments of an instrument: preferably guitar or piano, so you can accompany yourself. Never stop working on your craft. Learn some basic terminology, such as modulation, time signature, tempo. But above all, be passionate about singing. It's not possible to sell something to others - be it a bar owner or an audience - unless you have already sold it to yourself. In other words, you know your repertoir and love performing it. You may get the jitters and you may lack experience, that's fine! But you don't just want "fame" for the sake of it: you want people to recognize and possibly reward your talent.

Secondly, know the type of music you want to perform. Saying: "Oh, I love it all....I love jazz, and I love pop, and I love rock, and I love opera" is professional suicide. We live in a world where everything is patterned; everything needs a slot. That's why Norah Jones is put in the slot of "jazz" even though she is not really a jazz singer and Shania Twain is put in the slot of "country" even though she is not a country singer (they're both pop singers, pure and simple - albeit with different orchestrations and tempos). So if you love to sing Gershwin and Ellington, don't hesitate to call yourself a jazz singer and target that market. If you love to sing George Jones and Willie Nelson - it's the country market you're after. But whatever it is - please make sure you know. You already KNOW who you are and what you want. You just need someone to accompany you, perhaps sing a little harmony behind you, perhaps give you a few pointers or perhaps produce your recording - and that's why you have sought me out.

Thirdly, know your basic repertoir. If you are a jazz singer (and that's who I work with, mostly) you must not give me a blank look when I say "Don't Get Around Much Anymore". Before you approach me, you should know at least 30 (preferably 60) jazz standards which means also knowing the lyrics. The key in which you sing them is up to you (and it's my job to be able to accompany you in ANY key) but you should KNOW the key. And you should definitely know what a "key" is, otherwise we're off to a bad start...

Fourth, I'll do a couple of rehearsals with you if you have already booked some gigs. Or if you have not and want to pay me for rehearsal time, I'll rehearse a little bit. Otherwise fuggetaboudit......As a rule, jazz musicians don't rehearse and do not need to rehearse. Jazz is music spontaneously created on the stage within the confines and the framework of the standards all jazz musicians know. To ask me to rehearse "Satin Doll" with you is a pointless waste of time. If you have written arrangements for horns, rest assured that all professional horn players know their stuff and can read music on the spot. May not be flawless the first time around but given a few gigs, the tunes will become really tight! (an exception: if you have excellent original material and I believe in its potential and have fun playing it, I'll rehearse without hesitation)

To sum up: be passionate about your art, have some decent "charts" with solid "changes" ready (and do not ask me what "changes" mean), book the jobs, then call me and we'll be happy ever after.