The best jazz singers in Perth
Hiring a jazz singer means hiring a voice and then deciding what sits behind it. One accompanist, a trio, a quartet with a horn: the number of chairs is the biggest lever on the whole booking, and two quotes that look alike on a page are often pricing completely different nights.
Perth's pool of vocalists is not deep and the state is too big to import one at short notice, so give yourself months rather than weeks for a spring or summer Saturday. Send the same short brief to several of the singers here on one afternoon, and say plainly what you want the music to be doing.
Top picks in Perth
Top picks are the acts in this category in Perth, without a review, rating or premium ranking: all these sort keys are tied.
Questions people ask about jazz singers in Perth
How much does a jazz singer cost in Perth?
Chairs first, hours second. A vocalist with one accompanist over a two hour dinner is the entry point, and each musician you add is a working professional being paid for the night, so the same window with a quartet lands somewhere quite different. Few singers here publish a figure, so ask each one to price two or three lineup options in their reply and compare like with like.
Can a jazz singer perform at a wedding ceremony and the reception?
Yes, and hiring one voice for both parts of the day is the sensible version of this booking. Two or three pieces with a single accompanist while everyone walks in, then the same vocalist through the meal with an extra player or two behind her. Check the key though: something that sits beautifully over a quiet aisle can be pitched too low to carry across a dining room of plates and talking, so send your must-have songs when you first enquire.
What does a jazz singer actually sing?
Mostly the mid-century standards, plus bossa nova, which is the right sound for a warm Perth evening outdoors, and jazz arrangements of modern pop that let a current song into a formal room. Some singers are purists and some enjoy the newer arrangements, and both are legitimate. Ask for the repertoire in writing rather than relying on the genre label.
With no ratings shown, how do I pick one?
Ratings are absent across this whole list, so play a full song with the sound up instead of a thirty second cut, since phrasing and control are exactly what an edit conceals. After that, find out what they have been singing lately and in front of whom. A vocalist doing hotel bars on weeknights has been trained by a different job from one whose diary is mostly weddings, and you want to know which you are hiring.
Booking tips
Name your one song early enough for a chart
Jazz players read from written charts pitched to the singer's key, so a month's notice is nothing and asking on the night gets you a polite no or something approximate. If one song genuinely has to happen, name it in your opening message.
Check the venue piano before you build around it
Plenty of older rooms around the city and Fremantle still have an upright in the corner that nobody has touched in years. Get a date for its last tune out of the venue, or sidestep the whole issue by hiring a singer whose player travels with a weighted stage keyboard.
Late sunsets move the whole evening
Perth's summer light hangs on until well after eight, which means a dinner set that starts in full daylight and a room that does not settle until later than you planned. Build the sets around when the light actually goes rather than around the clock.