JazzTimes Magazine December 2021 Back Issue

LOVE IS A DRAG
In 1959, a top-notch crew of musicians gathered in Hollywood to record an album featuring vocalist Gene Howard. There was a catch, though: No one, including Howard, would be credited for it. Why? Because the album’s concept—a man singing love songs written for women without changing pronouns—was deemed dangerously risqué. James Gavin explores the secret history of Love Is a Drag and how it resonates in today’s jazz world.

ALICIA OLATUJA
She started off as a singer—and she still is—but since COVID broke out, Alicia Olatuja has become something else too: a new kind of vocal coach. Veronica Johnson learns more about Olatuja’s Vocal Breakthrough Academy, an online program meant not just for vocalists but for anyone interested in improving their lives through the making of music.

JON HENDRICKS
One hundred years ago in Newark, Ohio, a boy was born who would grow up to revolutionize jazz singing. In honor of Jon Hendricks’ centennial, fans Bobby McFerrin, Kurt Elling, Sheila Jordan, and Jazzmeia Horn join his daughter Michele Hendricks to discuss and celebrate the great man’s legacy.

VERONICA SWIFT
At the ripe old age of 27, Veronica Swift is ready to retire the descriptor “jazz singer.” To hear her tell it, she’s after something that’s harder to define: temperamentally ambiguous material, thorny lyrical subtexts, difficult emotions—all the stuff that forces a vocalist to keep adapting and evolving. As Stephanie Jones discovers, she’s up for the challenge.