Articles on Performance & Musicianship
Selected readings on the craft of jazz singing, the great songbook composers, and the traditions that shaped this music.
Book by Maye Cavallaro
Musician, Singer, Artist, Storyteller
A practical guide to the craft of jazz singing — from developing your personal style and working with a band, to preparing a song, building a repertoire, and stepping into the full identity of an artist.
Read the Book →By Maye
Benchmarks for Performing
Live performance is how artists build community, generate buzz, and open doors. This guide covers what you're responsible for as a performer — promotion, programming, and personnel — and what it takes to put on an engaging, convincing, and memorable concert.
Download PDFLearning a Song Before Band Rehearsal
Jazz is spontaneous and interactive — which means showing up prepared. A step-by-step guide to learning a song thoroughly before rehearsal: lyric study, storytelling, subtext, phrasing, and making the song truly your own before the band is in the room.
Download PDFPromotional Materials
What you need to build a professional profile — photos, sound files, video clips, and bios. Guidance on presenting yourself in a way that reflects your artistic identity and gets you taken seriously in the business.
Download PDFSteps for Preparing Your Concert
Four essential steps — framing, scripting, staging, and performing. From shaping your artistic story and programming a set with intention, to directing the band in rehearsal and holding focus under pressure on the night.
Download PDFArticles by Others
Working with the Band
By bassist Dean Muench — practical guidance on bandleading and communicating musical directions clearly to instrumentalists.
Download PDFA Vocalist's Best Friend (or Foe)
A conversation between pianists and singers about the art of accompaniment — what great support sounds like, and what gets in the way.
Download PDFBarbara Cook's Emotional Singing Lesson
Broadway legend Barbara Cook on feeling, emotional truth, and the courage it takes to be fully present on stage.
Download PDFWhat's a Melody For?
Suzanne Vega in the New York Times — exploring how music affects listeners emotionally, and what the melody is actually doing underneath the words.
Download PDFThe Voice of the Storyteller
New York Times on what it means to have a storyteller's voice — not just a pretty sound, but the ability to make a listener feel something true.
Download PDFTraining Insights from Star Athletes
New York Times on how elite athletes practice — directly applicable to musicians. How you practice determines what you become.
Download PDFDianne Reeves — Jazz in the NYT
Ben Ratliff's profile of Dianne Reeves — on how she accesses the spiritual essence of jazz and brings it into the room with her.
Download PDFHow to Call Attention to Your Music
Derek Sivers — founder of CD Baby — on independent musician promotion, standing out, and getting your music heard without a label.
Download PDFThe Great American Songbook
An overview of the canon — Tin Pan Alley, Broadway, and Hollywood as sources for the jazz vocal repertoire.
Read on Wikipedia ↗The Art of the Jazz Standard
Ted Gioia on jazz standards — their origins, harmonic language, and why they remain the foundation of the jazz vocabulary.
Ted Gioia ↗Affirmations for Singers
Positive affirmations for singers and songwriters — for the practice room, the green room, and the hard days when the voice feels far away.
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