'That's not all' - the singing of Annette Hanshaw - Overthinking Old Jazz Episode 11

I'm a musician specialising in 1920s and 30s jazz and popular music, but I also used to be an English Literature teacher, so I love overanalysing things and listening to myself talk. 'Overthinking Old Jazz' is a series designed to allow me to do all those things at once.

This episode provides an opportunity to analyse the music of Annette Hanshaw, a singer whose lasting popularity (boosted by her music featuring in the film 'Sita Sings the Blues' and the Bioshock computer games) has been countered by undeservedly faint praise from jazz critics and historians. I explain the characteristics of her different styles, and why I think she was a jazz singer (whatever that means).

All expenses have been spared in the making of this video.

[martinwheatley]

Spot-on Michael. She's long been my favourite female singer, now I know why !

[dennisfarris]

Her choice of material and her backing musicians, the respect and conversation in performance. All while working in the dawn of recording is what has made me a fan.

[swingyoucats]

Such a beautiful presentation, Michael. I was especially moved by your perceptive and gentle analysis of what makes her singing so personal, thus so endearing. I understand why she left "the music business, " but it would have been lovely to hear her stay on a few more years and record more.

[rogerofford]

Thank you Michael-you are constantly broadening my appreciation of classic jazz

[stevenrowson]

Thank you for this insightful look at Annette Hanshaw, I think she's great, has a texture to her voice all her own, my personal favourite is 'Say it isn't so', it has a special sadness from both her tone and phrasing.

[mpcguy]

Wonderful Michael!!
I love this series. So informative.
One really nice thing about her singing, is her vibrato. Both light and contained in both amplitude, speed, and intensity.

[LauraWindley]

Her phrasing is so lovely, the roundness of her notes, the comfort of her delivery - I also like her approach to upper register notes, to almost float rather than to belt. Thank you for this video, it's nice to see this attention given to her work and I agree, she ticks the boxes for jazz vocalist for me, too.

[waltergray]

Thank you for sharing this wonderful post.

[JerryBear]

Listen to Annette's version of I cover the Waterfront- beautiful, serious and masterful.

[jimfryer]

Once again, well done, Michael. Her basic musical abilities were terrific: pitch, rhythm, phrasing, variation, among others.

[SwingdanceUK]

This was really interesting and entertaining, thank you!

[theghostofsmokeyjoe]

She actually did arrange some songs (medley, 1925; hands across the table, 1937 and some recordings she made at home in the 50s)

[QUABLEDISTOCFICKLEPO]

I have to wonder about the song's title. I've always thought that it was "There Ain't No Sweet Man Worth the Salt of My Tears"

[jazzygiraffe]

I don't like her scat singing since there's a stiffness in her singing. But it's the same stiffness/shyness that makes her otherwise highly musical and particularily clean and in-tune singing feel so "cool" and "intimate".

[peteratkinson]

The 'wrong historians' have been custodians of twentieth century
popular music.
Billie Holliday has held sway over - in my opinion- superior singers because her story fits the misunderstood self- destructive tortured artist, while Annette Hanshaw and others 'had it too easy' etc.