I much enjoy vocal jazz but am by no means an expert. On this site, you will found some of my favourite jazz vocalists. Since I reside in the San Francisco Bay Area, I try to keep a list of local upcoming events that spark my interest. Also check out my favourite jazz links. Please contact me if you share a similar interest in jazz vocals or have any comments about this site.

The San Francisco Bay Area is indeed a hot bed for jazz activities attracting many internationally-renowned jazz muscians. For aficionados, there are a number of local jazz organisations, including the San Francisco Jazz Organization, the San Jose Jazz Society, the Stanford Jazz Workshop and the JazzWest Network.

There are also numerous jazz clubs in the area with many featuring brilliant local musicians. My absolute favourite club is Yoshi's at Jack London Square in Oakland, California. Although you may be a bit suspicious since the club is associated with a Japanese restauraut, be assured that Yoshi's is the premier jazz venue in the San Francisco Bay Area and probably one of the best nationally. This club is intimate with good acoustics and few bad seats. Nonetheless, this is California, so don't conjure a "smokey" atomsphere of bygones. Top musicians regularly stopped by encompassing the full spectrum of jazz. Of course, I am partial to vocalists. Artists whose performances I have attended there include Dee Dee Bridgewater, Shirley Horn, Diana Krall, Cleo Lane, Abbey Lincoln, John Pizzarelli and Diane Schuur.

My favourite radio station is but of course KCSM 91.1, one of the only two pre-set channels on my car radio. KCSM is probably one of the few, if not the only, 24-hour jazz station in the United States. You may actually get a password and listen to their programming live online anytime. However, their server has limited capacity so you might not be able to connect during peak hours. I do wish that they have an all-vocals show perhaps once a week though - keep dreaming. Since KCSM is a public, college station, please support jazz music and become a member.

The following is a list of upcoming or new CDs that I would like to try:

• Come Dream with Me, Jane Monheit, 22 May 2001.
  
• Swingin' for Schuur, Diane Schuur, 25 September 2001.
  
• Stardust, Bill Charlap, 9 April, 2002. This is actually not a vocal album.
  
• Rare Delight of You, John Pizzarelli and the George Shearing Quintet, 23 April, 2002.
  
• This is New, Dee Dee Bridgewater, 6 August, 2002.
  
• A Song for You, Kenny Rankin, 13 August, 2002.
  
• Live in Paris, Diana Krall, October, 2002.