Even though vocal jazz standards derive from the U.S. musical theater tradition of the early 20th century, very few stage musicals have featured a score for jazz singers. Two recent jazz musicals, both conceived and written by prominent jazz instrumentalists, chart fresh territory in this regard. View post to read more.

Musical ideas travel across global cultures these days as quickly as fire. Through any number of tech-dependent cultural exchanges, a musician can share an idea within seconds of its conception. Of all musicians, though, singers alone face a hurdle that limits their ability to participate in this rapid-fire sharing across cultures: barring singers who rely solely on vocal improvisation, all singers must make themselves understood verbally. Thus jazz singers are often limited by the languages they speak—or more accurately, by the ones they don’t. View post to read more.