Billie_and_Ella_form.docx
Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald were friends and influential singers of the Swing Era. Each singer possessed a unique musical style that continues to be emulated by today’s jazz singers. Listen to Billie Holiday’s Back in Your Own Back Yard and Ella Fitzgerald’s Flying Home. [Back In Your Own Back Yard (Gridley, Chapter 5, Page 83: Jazz Classics for Concise Guide to Jazz CD 1 track 11; Flying Home: Chapter 5, Page 86: Jazz Classics for Concise Guide to Jazz CD 1 track 12]. Respond to each prompt. Then, offer commentary regarding the similarities and differences between the examples.
|
|
Back In Your Own Back Yard (Billie Holiday)
|
Flying Home (Ella Fitzgerald)
|
Similarities and Differences
|
|
Tempo (slow, medium, fast, dance-like?)
|
|
|
|
|
Swing feel (Do you sense a weak, medium, or strong rhythmic pulse? Which song has a stronger pulse?)
|
|
|
|
|
Syncopation (Is there evidence of syncopation or tugging and pulling against the musical pulse?)
|
|
|
|
|
Lyrics (What story, if any, is told by lyrics each artist sings?)
|
|
|
|
|
Voice quality (Use adjectives to describe the different timbre of each singer’s voice.)
|
|
|
|
|
Accompaniment (Which song uses a big band for accompaniment? A small group? What featured instruments do you hear?)
|
|
|
|
|
What elements of improvisation are evident in the musical accompaniment provided in each example?
|
|
|
|
|
Other (What else comes to mind as you listen to this music?)
|
|
|
|
|
Can you think of a modern artist or song that may have been influenced by each vocalist or each style? What similarities are apparent?
|
|
|
|
anncom
