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fygzh2.jpg   I'd never heard of Jackie Evancho before today.   I need to link this to Mom. She's gotta hear this.  Mom's a retired classical music teacher that knows the opera sounds.

 

Amethyst,

 

Elton John :)  I hadn't heard this one before your post.

 

Here's one of the all-time jazz/standard singers.  Nat King Cole performing one of my favorite ballad-standards.

 

It's a bonus YT clip for me since the uploader used deep space photos from the Hubble telescope...a treat for astronomer hobbyists.

 

  I like to sing along with this one... alone, of course :D ,  It's got one my all-time favorite intros before the chorus begins....

 

And now the purple dusk of twilight time
Steals across the meadows of my heart
High up in the sky the little stars climb
Always reminding me that we’re apart
You wander down the lane and far away
Leaving me a song that will not die
Love is now the stardust of yesterday
The music of the years gone by

 

Sometimes I wonder why I spend

The lonely nights dreaming of a song

The melody haunts my reverie

And I am once again with you

When our love was new

and each kiss an inspiration

But that was long ago

and now my consolation

Is in the stardust of a song

Beside the garden wall

when stars are bright

You are in my arms

The nightingale tells his fairy tale

Of paradise where roses grew

Though I dream in vain

in my heart

you will remain

My stardust melody

The memory of love's refrain

 

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I don't know how many times I've listened to Jackie Evancho ; she's amazing. I remember when some people thought she was cheating on X-Factor, lip synching or whatever. Later on as the competition progressed and she was still there, Jackie did something acapella to silence the critics. "Pie Jesu" is my favorite from Jackie (the first song from the Foster show Ron linked to above. Listening to Jackie always reminds me of another child prodigy I discovered some years ago on a TV show, who has gone on to do very well for herself as a singer :

 

You may have seen this...

 

===============

 

Ron : I don't know why or how, but somehow Danny Gatton has never been on my radar. That's a tragedy ! Oh my, what a player. Did some reading and listening. Found this interesting bit on Wiki :

 

Gatton's playing combined musical styles such as jazz, blues and rockabilly in an innovative fashion, and he was known by some as "the Telemaster." He was also called "the world's greatest unknown guitarist". His most common nickname was "The Humbler", owing to his ability to out-play anyone willing to go up against him in "head-cutting" jam sessions. It was Amos Garrett, guitar player for Maria Muldaur, who nicknamed Gatton "The Humbler". After a successful gig, Garrett would pull out a tape of Gatton and tell his band, "You think we played well tonight. Let's take a minute to listen to the Humble-lizer." A photo published in the October 2007 issue of Guitar Player magazine shows Gatton playing in front of a neon sign that says "Victims Wanted".

<snip>

His skills were most appreciated by his peers such as Eric Clapton, Willie Nelson, Steve Earle, and his childhood idol Les Paul.
 

Wow. Would have loved to sit in at one of those "head-cutting jam sessions".

 

Thanks for sharing him with us...

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Oh yes I remember Charlotte Church.  Excellent voice.  I think she probably has a bit better operatic voice than Jackie but there is just something a bit more too Jackie's singing for me than from Charlotte

 

Charlotte Church Ave Maria



Charlotte Church - Summertime

 
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I'm no expert on voice quality, especially opera. Having said that, I don't think Charlotte ever had enough *power* to be a proficient opera singer. Her voice, to me, is more about pitch control and emotion with a unique and "warm" tone.

Jackie is still too young, her instrument not fully developped, but she's showing tremendous control and power for such a young and petite girl. I think her range will grow as she gets older. From the little I know of her, Jackie appears to be a perfectionist and isn't afraid to work hard to achieve her goals. How much of that comes from pressure from her entourage, it's hard to say... One thing is for sure, she is probably the best known "loser" of a singing competition ever ; she got to the finals of America's Got Talent in 2010 and lost to a guy named Michael Grimm, who has sort of faded out already. Many have said that not winning the contest and grand prize of one million bucks was the best thing that could have happened to her at that time ; the spotlight and money could have been too much for a child, bringing more turmoil to her life than she could have handled.Simon Cowell was already waiting, or circling like a vulture haha, to sign Jackie up for a record deal before she could even realize what was happening. She sold a lot of records that year, and more in the years to come. She's had more work than most classical singers could ever dream of. But pure opera singers are rarely famous or rich, so I have a feeling Jackie will cross over to something more popular in the years to come, similar to what Charlotte did.

 

Ok... I have one more coup de coeur to share (sentimental favorite) in this genre. This may surprise a few people ; I know I almost fell off my chair when I first found it. A great folk singer who reveals a different side :

 

..and this one. Haunting interpretation.She can do things with her voice that few singers can ever hope to do: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WGHUKsulK7I

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Recently saw Jewel live a couple months ago and for me it was quite a let down.  Certainly not like many of her videos you can watch on Youtube.
 
Even in the bottom one you linked she demonstrates a great voice but in real life she never sang or played anything like it.
 
One of my favorite singers is Lara Fabian - certainly more elegant of a woman than Christina Aguilera to me, but pretty hard to beat Christina's voice even if you don't like her music.
 


 
 
Lara Fabian



Lara Crokaert better known as Lara Fabian (born January 9, 1970) is a Belgian-Italian international singer who holds Canadian citizenship. Multilingual, she sings in French, Italian and English. She has also sung in Spanish, Portuguese, Russian, Hebrew, Greek, and German.

She has sold over 18 million records worldwide, with particular success in Europe and Quebec. She is a lyric soprano with a vocal range that spans three octaves from C3 to G?6 in live performances.
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Good morning Ron,

 

Very sorry to hear about that experience with Jewel :-(

She had a reputation for being a solid live performer. She has since crossed over to country, after marrying a rodeo star. She can outsing most female country artists living today, but it feels as though she's not comfy within the new genre. She is a true folk singer. Oddly, you can't find any of her older (and better) records on her website now. Even that 2006 concert, which was recorded and sold on DVD to crirical acclaim, can't be found on her site. It's like the old Jewel doesn't exist anymore. She's a mom now too, and has recorded two children's albums. I hope she's happy in her new life, and kinda wish she would go back to her earlier style...

 

=====

 

Lara Fabian : I saw her live almost 20 years ago, when she was just getting started in Québec. She and then boyfriend/manager Rick came to Québec from Belgium because they knew we loved big, powerful voices here while the French (France) market wasn't into them. They made the right decision. She was an instant success here, and I got to see her in our little town, just before she made it big and decided to hit the more lucrative French market. Earning star status in Québec opened some doors for her in France, as she gained experience and made contacts over there. It was one of the better shows I've seen ; she has an amazing voice and is an excellent performer. I didn't know she had fans in the States though ;)

 

One of my favorite Lara songs Live :

 

You linked to the "Je suis malade" song, which she finished a capella, mic turned off, filling our 600+ seat theater with... magic.

 

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Christina Aguilera : she started out as a teen pop sensation. She had it all : the look, the attitude and that voice... Though many critics have said she overdoes it with the vocal runs, I think she's a far better than 99% of the pop divas out there. Oh yeah, miss Aguilera is also known for being quite the Diva...

 

Gotta love what she did with Herbie Handcock as well. Just found a tube featuring her range. Oh man, a trip down memory lane and a good dose of wow... :

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I didn't know Mirusia. I'm not that much into opera,l but I can certainly enjoy a great singer and she sure is impressive :-))

 

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That young Anna Christine has such a mature voice, and what control. I have a feeling we'll be hearing more from her in the years to come..

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Good morning Ron,

 

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I didn't know Mirusia. I'm not that much into opera,l but I can certainly enjoy a great singer and she sure is impressive :-))

 

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Afternoon Mark,

 

No, I'm not really an Opera fan either but when I hear such a great voice I have to listen.  I wouldn't listen to it daily but once in a while it's really nice to hear.

I only came across her because of the Ave Maria song

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.

Get Right

 

 

Published on Jan 30, 2013

.. vocals by Ryan Collins
Saxophonist/vocalist/songwriter Mindi Abair has been surrounded by talented musicians her entire life. Her paternal grandmother was an opera singer, and her father was a saxophonist and B3 player in a blue-eyed soul group called The Entertainers -- a gig that kept the whole family on the road for several years throughout the early '70s.

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Memories of jazzin' in the "Apple" (NYC).  I used to catch Kenny Barron riding the keys at "Bradley's" jazz club (near Union Square in Manhattan) in town on business trips.  It's closed now but when it was open I closed the place a few times wat53r.jpg  xaulx1.jpg

 

Here's Kenny B in Japan playing on of my favorite straight-ahead chord changers, "Have You Met Miss Jones".

 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b7PkSy5biVQ

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