VARIOUS ARTISTS The Jazz Singers (Prestige)

There’s much disagreement on exactly what constitutes a jazz vocal or exactly who is or ain’t a jazz singer (though everyone knows that Danny Thomas and Neil Diamond, who starred in the ’53 and ’80 versions of The Jazz Singer definitely ain’t), but the 23 singers collected on this tworecord set (spanning ’21-lb) offer a good definition by example. Present are pioneers (Bessie Smith, Louis Armstrong, Fats Waller), classic swing-era stylists (Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughan, Billy Eckstine), ’50s-style vocalese boppers (King Pleasure, Annie Ross, Joe Carroll, Mark Murphy, Eddie Jefferson) as well as “sidetrips” into the blues (Ray Charles, Jimmy Rushing, Aretha Franklin, Joe Williams) and a few trips not readily pigeonholed (Mose Allison, Flora Purim). An excellent intro to the field, whatever it may be.