"jazz chorus"/"jazz choir" or whatever it's called kinda music

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listening to the radio recently i heard on two occasions music that i found very moving, and i'm not sure how to describe it..."choral jazz"/"jazz choir"...anyway i'm sure you get the idea. the pieces in question were sung by a group of men and women, and they were very jazzy in nature, though i dunno if they were 'jazz' per se, or 'modern classical' or what. they had very complex and beautiful chord things/harmonic things/voicing things going on; (apologies for my poor use of nomenclature) one was acappella, i can't remember if the other had instrumental accompaniment or not; one of them might have been a composition by duke ellington or cole porter, i don't know...the other was sung in some eastern european language, not sure which one; all i know is that the music was exquisitely beautiful, put me in the mindset of a georgeous spring or autumn day, 'round sunset. it made me feel that all was right with the world, or with my heart, or with something.

sooo...this may sound like a stupid question, but can anyone give me advice/recommendations of how to go about finding music like this, or know of any particular titles that i may find similarly appealing, based on the above admittedly vague/clumsy description? i've looked in record shops, and found the jazz vocal section, of course, but couldn't find stuff sung by a large group.

oh, and i'm not talking about the swingle singers or anything like that.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:02 (twenty-two years ago)

try Donald Byrd "A new perspective"(blue note)

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:06 (twenty-two years ago)

Andrew Hill did an album like this that I would like to hear, though I wouldn't dare buy it without hearing it first.

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:08 (twenty-two years ago)

You could just be describing contemporary classical choral music, which has been borrowing heavily from both the 12-tone and jazz camps over the past century. Check out some stuff by Howells and Britten and see if that's similar to what you heard on the radio (I'm thinking in particular of Howells' "Requiem" and Britten's "Hymn to St. Cecilia" and "A.M.D.G").

― Dan Perry (Dan Perry), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:11 (twenty-two years ago)

ahhh, 'hymn to st. cecilia' sounds very familiar. that might actually have been one of the pieces.

― Dallas Yertle (Dallas Yertle), Thursday, 24 April 2003 22:41 (twenty-two years ago)

I love jazz choir type music. Here are my favorites. hope something in here is kinda what you're looking for

Max Roach - "it's time" on Impulse. very much what you're describing, jazz based choirs that sound kinda classical. way out but not with dissonance or free playing at all. just weird and amazing. he also has a few other jazz/ vocal albums that are worth mentioning that are a little different. "Freedom Now Suite" is great, but i think it focuses on one singer (his wife, abbey lincoln) not choirs. then there's "lift every voice and sing" which is more gospel influenced, but definitely great and kinda similar to "it's time"

Bobby Hutcherson "Now!" -- amazing album on blue note. it has Eugene McDaniels on vocals. very weird classical choir, almost like a musical, but way cooler.

David Axelrod has done lots of stuff with jazz based choirs. "Earth Rot" uses lots of unusual chord voices with the choir. they almost remind me of the original star trek theme. great funky rock backing band. also check out his "Songs of Experience" and "Songs of Innocence". classics. also his two albums with the 60s psych group the Electric Prunes are worth mentioning. "Release of an Oath" is my favorite. very similar to the "Songs of.." albums. also there's "Mass in F Minor" where the band sings a psychedelic pseudo mass all in Latin. this one isn't as good as the first.

Alice Coltrane has a couple of albums (probably not what you're looking for, but they're great nontheless) called "Transcendence" and "Radha-Krsna Nama Sankirtana" that mix gospel type keyboards and organ, Hare Krishna chants and great handclaps. these are amazing upbeat albums that mix eastern and western spiritualities. there was a period where i listened to one side of "Transcendence" every day for about two months (the other side of the record i don't like as much).

other jazz artists that have used choruses that i think are great, but probably don't really fit into your description (they're more blues based, not classical sounding), are pharoah sanders and sun ra.

― JasonD (JasonD), Thursday, 24 April 2003 23:09 (twenty-two years ago)

"Freedom Now Suite"

A jazz album I actually want, and it's out of print.

(And no, I can't do trades. No technical capacity to copy anything, now that tape-recorders are made like crap.)

― Rockist Scientist, Thursday, 24 April 2003 23:45 (twenty-two years ago)

Rockist! Buy - a - burner!

― gaz (gaz), Thursday, 24 April 2003 23:50 (twenty-two years ago)

Roland Kirk - "Spirits Up Above" is wonderful.

― J (Jay), Thursday, 24 April 2003 23:58 (twenty-two years ago)

I don't know anything about the kind of a cappella choir stuff you're asking about, but continuing on the jazz groups w/choirs tip there's also Andrew Hill 'Lift Every Voice', which is a little more modern jazz/classical oriented, and Donald Byrd 'A New Perspective' which has a gospel choir.

― Jordan (Jordan), Friday, 25 April 2003 17:53 (twenty-two years ago)

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