This week we had Lizz Wright visiting the vocal department of Berklee. Amazing.
Lizz Wright (1980) is an American Jazz/R&B singer and composer, originally from Georgia. She is mainly self taught and she signed a contract with Verve in 2002 and her first album, salt was released in 2003 and reached number two on the Billboard Jazzchart. You could compare her voice with Norah Jones, but you will find a lot of gospel influences. She is an very spiritual person, and the way she answered all our questions was touching. I am a fan 🙂
Here some short tips she gave us that I like to share.
* Try to “sit in the bass” when there is a nice blues shuffle
* When you improvise in a swinging tune, focus on the hi-hat.
* LIsten to Shirley Horn when you wanna learn the perfect spacing.
* Always for technique focus on your hips and shoulders when you do your exercises.
* Watch Dianne Reeves for microphone technique, but also for everything else she does.
A short video:
