The Jazz Singer - John Neudorf

Local jazz vocalist John Neudorf is happy singing the blues.
by Terry McNamee  Staff Writer  Grimsby Independent

John Neudorf is feeling blue these days, but only when he sings. The Beamsville native has just released his first CD, and he is starting to attract attention as one of the new voices in Canadian jazz.

"I grew up listening to rock and roll, but about 15 years ago I started getting into Chicago blues," Mr. Neudorf said.
At that time, he was a drummer rather than a vocalist. He experimented with various blues styles, but found many of the venues where the blues are performed weren't really suitable for drums, so he began singing. Today, he is making his name as a jazz singer and is known for his ability to scat, or do freestyle jazz vocals using sounds rather than words. It's a style not every singer can master, since it requires the singer to improvise and to go up and down the scale rapidly without singing off-key. Scatting was made famous by great singers such as Ella Fitzgerald and blues specialist Joe Williams. Another key to being a great jazz singer or jazz musician is the ability to "style" a song by creating a new interpretation or understanding of the music. "I'm a big fan of Tony Bennett, Duke Ellington, Ella Fitzgerald," Mr. Neudorf said, identifying three of the great song stylists.

One of my favorite vocalists is Betty Carter.
"I saw her perform," he said. " She just left me in awe. That was definitely one of my biggest infuences."
"Ray Charles, Chet Baker and Tony Bennett have (also) influenced me."

Mr. Neudorf still lives in Beamsville, and commutes to Toronto to perform. "I've become a regular at the Montreal Bistro," he said. "It's one of the nicest jazz listening venues in Toronto." He has also performed at the Orillia and the Toronto jazz festivals, and in the summer he performs at many of the wineries across the Niagara Region.
"That basically keeps me pretty busy in the summertime," he said.

His debut CD was completed in February and has been getting air time on Jazz 91, Toronto's only all jazz radio station, and on CBC in Montreal. "The whole CD was recorded in four days," he said. "It was done at Inception Sound in Downsview." Producer Mike Francis and Mr. Neudorf did all the arrangements for 12 classic jazz numbers, most of which are from the 1950's era. Mr. Neudorf said the album is almost like a dedication to bebop trumpet player and composer Clifford Brown, but also includes a Stevie Wonder song and a "ghost" 13th number not listed on the cover.
"All the players on the CD are Toronto's best musicians," Mr. Neudorf said. The album includes Tim Szczesniak on piano, Mike Francis on guitar, Pat Collins on bass and Bob McLaren on drums.

Mr. Neudorf and his wife Kirsten, often go to New York City on weekends to hear top jazz artists such as Miles Davis and Nancy Wilson perform. "It's very inspiring," he said. "You work hard every day and try to master your art, but when you see someone with international ability, it inspires you to go at it even harder."

"I've had a lot of help and guidance from international vocalist Mark Murphy." Mr. Neudorf said he sends tapes of his singing to Mr. Murphy to be critiqued, and the singer has helped him with vocal technique and voice control.
"He seems to think that I have a style all my own, which interests him."
Mr. Neudorf has a full-time job, so jazz is striclty a partime occupation."There's just too many responsibilities for me to be the starving artist!" he laughed. His two daughters are both very musical and love jazz almost as much as he does. One of them can even scat. "She already knows all the words to the songs," he said proudly.
While his wife is not musical herself, he gives full credit to her for all her help as he pursues his dream of becoming a recognized jazz singer. "She's always been a huge supporter," Mr. Neudorf said.

His CD is available at Sam the Record Man at the Pen Centre, at concerts where he is performing, and can be purchased through his website at www.johnneudorf.com
He is currently working on a distribution deal with a Quebec company to sell his CD across Canada.