Holly Cole
Cassandra Wilson
Ella Fitzgerald
Billie Holiday
Sarah Vaughan
Emilie-Claire Barlow
Frank Sinatra
I picked singers, they made too many good albums.
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Betty Carter - The Audience with Betty Carter. Best on a full range dynamic system!
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Carmen mcrae-live at birdland west
Fine and Mellow?
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Just heard Passing Strangers by Sarah Vaughan and Billy Eckstine on Boom Radio. Used to have the album 40 odd years ago and it took me back. Perfection.
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I find it impossible to judge which are the greatest Vocal Jazz albums of all time, it’s a matter of taste. And my tastes tend to evolve over time.
That being said the following are my favorite Vocal Jazz albums, in other words those which figure in my curated repertoire, some complete, some only a few tracks:
Abbey Lincoln - Abbey is Blue; Abbey Lincoln - Abbey Sings Abbey; Abbey Lincoln - That’s Him!; Alexis Cole - A Kiss In The Dark; Amy McConnell & William Sperandei - Accomplice; Aretha Franklin - The Great American Songbook; Astrud Gilberto & Stanley Turrentine - Gilberto with Turrentine; Bill Charlap Trio - Stardust: The Music Of Hoagy Carmichael; Billie Holiday - All or Nothing at All; Billie Holiday - An Evening With; Billie Holiday - Billie Holiday; Billie Holiday - Billie’s Best; Billie Holiday - Songs for Distingué Lovers; Billie Holiday - The Silver Collection; Billie Holiday - Velvet Mood; Bobby McFerrin - Bang ! Zoom; Bobby McFerrin - Beyond Words; Bobby McFerrin - Circlesongs; Bobby McFerrin - Hits & Rarities; Bobby McFerrin - How The Rhinoceros Got His Skin & How The Camel Got His Hump; Bobby McFerrin - Spirityouall; Bobby McFerrin - Spontaneous Inventions; Bobby McFerrin - The Best of…; Bobby McFerrin - VOCAbuLarieS; Café Drechsler - Let It Touch You; Camille Bertault - Bonjour Mon Amour; Camille Thurman - Inside the Moment; Cassandra Wilson - Belly of the Sun; Cassandra Wilson - Another Country; Cassandra Wilson - Silver Pony; Cécile McLorin Salvant - Dreams and Daggers; Cécile McLorin Salvant - For One to Love; Cécile McLorin Salvant - Ghost Song; Cécile McLorin Salvant - The Window; Cecile McLorin Salvant - WomanChild; Charenee Wade - Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson; Charenee Wade, Stefon Harris - Offering: The Music of Gil Scott-Heron & Brian Jackson; Charlie Hunter Quartet - Songs from the Analog Playground; Chet Baker - Chet Baker Sings; Chet Baker - Sings: It Could Happen To You; Christian McBride - The Movement Revisited: A Musical Portrait of Four Icons; Claire Martin - Too Darn Hot!; Clarke-Boland Sextet - Music for the Small Hours; Clifford Brown & Max Roach - Alone Together (The Best Of The Mercury Years) CD1; Count Basie - Just the Blues; Count Basie - Kansas City Shout; Dee Dee Bridgewater - This Is Dee Dee Bridgewater: Retrospective; Delfeayo Marsalis & the Uptown Jazz Orchestra - Jazz Party; Diana Krall - All For You (A Dedication To The Nat King Cole Trio); Diana Krall - From This Moment On; Diana Krall - Live In Paris; Diana Krall - Stepping Out; Diana Krall - The Girl in the Other Room; Diana Krall - When I Look in Your Eyes; Dr. Lonnie Smith - Breathe; Ella Fitzgerald - Let No Man Write My Epitaph ; Ella Fitzgerald - Porgy And Bess; Ella Fitzgerald - Sings The George And Ira Gershwin Song Book; Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass - Sophisticated Lady; Ella Fitzgerald & Joe Pass - Speak Love; Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis; Ella Fitzgerald & Louis Armstrong - Ella and Louis Again; Frank Sinatra - Strangers In The Night (Remastered); Frank Sinatra - In The Wee Small Hours; Frank Sinatra - Sings For Only The Lonely; Frank Sinatra - Sings For Only The Lonely (Deluxe); Giacomo Gates - The Revolution Will Be Jazz - The Songs of Gil Scott-Heron; Grace Mahya - Last Live at DUG; Gregory Porter - Liquid Spirit (Special Edition); Gregory Porter - Nat King Cole & Me (Deluxe Edition); Gretchen Parlato - Flor; Gretchen Parlato - The Lost and Found; Harry Connick Jr - We Are In Love; Harry Connick Jr. - True Love: A Celebration Of Cole Porter; Helen Merrill - The Feeling Is Mutual - (with D*ck Katz); Herbie Hancock - River: The Joni Letters; Jacintha - Jacintha Is Her Name; Jacky Terrasson - Gouache; Jacky Terrasson & Cassandra Wilson - Rendez Vous ; Jamie Saft, Steve Swallow, Bobby Previte - Loneliness Road; Jana Herzen, Charnett Moffett - ‘Round the World; Jazzmeia Horn - A Social Call; Jazzmeia Horn - Love And Liberation; Jho Archer - Voodoo Jazz; John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman - John Coltrane and Johnny Hartman; John Pizzarelli - Chesky 30th Anniversary Collection: Complete Set; John Pizzarelli - Dear Mr. Sinatra; John Pizzarelli - Rockin’ In Rhythm; John Pizzarelli with The George Shearing Quintet - The Rare Delight of You; Joni Mitchell - Both Sides Now; Jose James - Yesterday I Had The Blues: The Music Of Billie Holiday; Julia Sarr - Njaboot; Kandace Springs - Black Orchid; Kandace Springs - Indigo; Kandace Springs - Kandace Springs; Kandace Springs - Soul Eyes; Kandace Springs - The Women Who Raised Me; Kellylee Evans - I Remember When; Lady Blackbird - Black Acid Soul; Laïka (Fatien) - Misery: A Tribute To Billie Holiday; Leon Russell - Life Journey; Lizz Wright - Dreaming Wide Awake; Lizz Wright - Freedom & Surrender; Lizz Wright - Grace; Lizz Wright - Holding Space (Live in Berlin); Lizz Wright - The Orchard; Louis Armstrong & Duke Ellington - The Complete Sessions; Madeleine Peyroux - Careless Love; Madeleine Peyroux - Secular Hymns ; Madeleine Peyroux - Standing On the Rooftop; Malia - Convergence; Malia - Malawi Blues/Njira; Matt Bianco - Matt’s Mood; Matthew Halsall & The Gondwana Orchestra - Into Forever; Mel Tormé - Comin’ Home Baby!; Mel Tormé - Swings Shubert Alley; Mel Tormé - The Art Pepper - Marty Paich Sessions; Mel Tormé - Tormé; Melanie De Biasio - Lilies; Melanie De Biasio - No Deal; Melody Gardot - My One And Only Thrill; Melody Gardot - Worrisome Heart; Monterey Jazz Festival 50th Anniversary All-Stars - Live 2007 ; Mose Allison - Gimcracks and Gewgaws; Mose Allison - I Don’t Worry About a Thing; Mose Allison - I Love the Life I Live; Mose Allison - Mose Allison Sings; Mose Allison - My Backyard; Mose Allison - Swingin’ Machine; Mose Allison - The Way of the World; Mose Allison - V-8 Ford Blues; Mose Allison - Your Mind Is On Vacation; Musica Nuda - Live à FIP; Musica Nuda (Petra Magoni & Ferruccio Spinetti) - Banda Larga; Musica Nuda (Petra Magoni & Ferruccio Spinetti) - Complici; Musica Nuda (Petra Magoni & Ferruccio Spinetti) - Musica Nuda; Musica Nuda (Petra Magoni & Ferruccio Spinetti) - Verso Sud; Nat King Cole - The Extraordinary (Deluxe Edition); Nina Simone - Little Girl Blue; Nina Simone - After Hours; Nina Simone - Fodder On My Wings; Nina Simone - Forbidden Fruit ; Nina Simone - I Put A Spell On You; Nina Simone - To Be Free ; Norah Jones - Day Breaks ; Patricia Barber - Café Blue; Patricia Barber - Companion; Patricia Barber - Smash; Patricia Barber - Split; Putumayo Presents - Jazz Café; Randy Crawford & Joe Sample - Feeling Good; Raul Midon - A World Within A World; Raul Midon - Bad Ass and Blind; Raul Midon - Don’t Hesitate; Raul Midon - If You Really Want; Raul Midon - Synthesis; Raul Midon - The Mirror; Ray Charles - Genius Loves Company; Ray Charles - Genius+Soul=Jazz; Ray Charles - Ingredients In A Recipe For Soul; Ray Charles and Betty Carter - Ray Charles and Betty Carter; Rickie Lee Jones - Pop Pop; Rob Wasserman - Duets; Sarah Vaughan - After Hours; Sarah Vaughan - Crazy and Mixed Up; Sarah Vaughan - Divine: The Jazz Albums 1954-1958 (CD 1); Sarah Vaughan - Divine: The Jazz Albums 1954-1958 (CD 4); Sarah Vaughan - How Long Has This Been Going On; Sarah Vaughan - The Very Best Of…; Sarah Vaughan - Ultimate Sarah Vaughan; Serge Gainsbourg - Du jazz dans le ravin; Shirley Horn - Here’s To Life; Shirley Horn - Loving You; Shirley Horn - May The Music Never End; Shirley Horn - The Main Ingredient; Shirley Horn - Ultimate; Shirley Horn - You Won’t Forget Me; Shola Adisa-Farrar & Florian Pelissier Quintet - Lost Myself ; Snarky Puppy - Family Dinner Volume Two (Deluxe); Still in the Woods - Rootless Tree; Susie Arioli - Live At the Montreal International Jazz Festival (feat. Jordan Officer); Susie Arioli - Night Lights; Taylor McFerrin - Love’s Last Chance; Terence Blanchard - Let’s Get Lost; Terri Lyne Carrington - The Mosaic Project; Tony Bennett - The Complete Improv Recordings; Trudy Pitts & Pat Martino - Legends Of Acid Jazz; Twin Danger - Twin Danger; Tyrone Jackson - From The Mind Of; Various Artists - Jazz En Verve Vol.3 - Chanteurs; Various Artists - Norway Nights; Various Artists - Sound+Vision & HDtracks.com Present: The Ultimate HiDef Music Download Experience; Various Artists - Verve Remixed; Various Artists - Women, The Best Jazz Vocals; Willie Nelson & Wynton Marsalis - Here We Go Again; Wynton Marsalis Septet, Audra McDonald - United We Swing: Best of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas; Wynton Marsalis Septet, Willie Nelson - United We Swing: Best of the Jazz at Lincoln Center Galas; Youn Sun Nah - Immersion; Youn Sun Nah - Lento; Youn Sun Nah - Memory Lane; Youn Sun Nah - Reflet; Youn Sun Nah - Same Girl; Youn Sun Nah - She Moves On; Youn Sun Nah - Voyage; Zara McFarlane - Arise; Zara McFarlane - If You Knew Her; Zara McFarlane - Songs of an Unknown Tongue
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Captain Beefheart, the greatest jazz singer of all time. 
Love that track!
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wow….
Loving this thread.
Since we upgraded the softer side of life has become more prevalent in our listening.
Pre 252 I never really got Jazz.
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Sheila Jordan ‘Portrait of Sheila’ has got to be in there.
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The name Rene Urtreger caught my eye in one of those endless lists that Qobuz produce.
Not one of the top several but a gentle and sweet rendition of well known tales.
I think Agnes is the French Author.
You can practise your French or just let her whisper in your ear.
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nick1940
I believe Agnes Desarthe is the vocalist on the album. Rene Urtreger is a bop pianist.
I had not heard Agnes Desarthe before and I thank-you for the recommendation. I found the album on Tidal as well.
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In addition to those who have been mentioned, we also like Carol Sloane. She recently passed away and has quite a story. We saw her often live in North Carolina, 40+ years ago.
https://www.nytimes.com/2023/02/03/arts/music/carol-sloane-dead.html
She has a ton of stuff on Quobuz (Nothing Hi Res unfortunately) and we have quite a few of them on vinyl. Great music, stellar vocals, and well recorded. Check them out. Sad she never made much money.
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I recognise the name solely from the sleeve notes of Miles Davis’ Miles Davis – Ascenseur Pour L’échafaud:
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Great choices, and you remind me I haven’t listened to McCorkle in quite a while.
However, I have to disagree with your Armstrong choice. If I had to pick my single favorite vocal, it would be his 8:41 “Let’s Do It” with Oscar Peterson’s trio plus Herb Ellis backing him.
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A singer to add, not sure which album comes top, Mary Coughlan.
Some tracks might not be jazz, then she sings Billie Holiday.
Favourite track, possibly I Want To Be Seduced.
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I agree! It’s the first one on my list! 
I think it really distills the essence of Sinatra. One of my absolute favorite albums, and my favorite Frank album.
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You probably know the story behind this unique Sinatra album: separation from Ava Gardner. To catch the original atmosphere of the wee small hours, this album was recorded in the very early morning with sessions starting at around 4:00 am.
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Yes, I think the working title for the collection was “Ava’s Album” or something like that. Some people say it is the first “concept album” (so, I guess Frank is responsible in some small way for Tommy and DSOTM!) And Frank did like to work at night! It was also a key part (maybe the most important part) in the process of restoring Frank’s status as a popular singer after his career slump and revival with the release of From Here to Eternity. Certainly an important album, but mostly I just love the way it sounds when I am sitting by a fire with a drink in my hand!
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