Re: Cullum And Others

Regarding the poll described in this item, a singer who requests anonymity for reasons of “career protection and seemliness” writes:

Your Jamie Cullum piece is spot-on, but it is worth noting that, unlike those many jazz singers who self-produce, Cullum is on a prominent European label (and a label with the savvy to rig polling). There are plenty of singers out there on labels who are just plain awful. I’m sure the need to attract the interest of label execs does help to filter out many of the awful singers who put out their own discs. But it certainly doesn’t ensure that there will be any baseline of quality.

The Brits, by the way, seem to have a particular taste for bad pseudo-jazz singing. Robbie Williams, anyone?

In any case, you’re absolutely right that we’re in for a fascinating stretch watching how the jazz world changes as it becomes ever easier for product to flood the rather miniscule market for the music. I too wonder what sort of new gatekeeping processes might develop, because they will have to. Otherwise the noise of all those recordings will drown out the ability to listen for anything good.