The relationship between the straight ahead jazz world and the Latin Jazz world has always interested me. The history of Latin Jazz has been written in a way that frames the style as a subset of traditional jazz, but I’ve always viewed the style in a different light. I’ve always considered Latin Jazz as its own entity, a musical cousin to traditional jazz that shares enough aesthetical pieces to maintain a family relationship, but enough differences to constitute an individual identity. The history of the two styles certainly share parallels, but the diverge into different paths due to the influence of society. These opposing paths certainly create tension and lead to sharp attitudes about the music. The Latin Jazz has often received lower class citizen status in the jazz world – Latin Jazz artists are not seen as doing the same type of serious artistic work as traditional jazz artists. While that’s a topic for a whole other article, it sets up an interesting dichotomy between similar artists.

Graciela Perez Gutierrez and Ella Fitzgerald make an intriguing case study in comparisons; they shared a number of similarities despite the fact that they walked through different musical worlds. Gutierrez was born in Havana in 1915, where she started her professional career before moving to New York in 1943. Fitzgerald was born two years later in 1917 in Newport News, Virginia, and she also began performing in her late teens. Fitzgerald and Gutierrez both won acclaim fronting some of the best big bands in their chosen genres. Gutierrez and Fitzgerald were musical contemporaries, performing on many of the same stages, encountering the same artists. They shared a bond through their friendship with one special musician – Cuban trumpet player Mario Bauza. Gutierrez’s time with the Machito Orchestra earned her the reputation as “The First Lady Of Afro-Cuban Jazz” while people frequently refer to Fitzgerald as “The First Lady Of Song.” The relationship between these two vocalists speaks volumes about the relationship between the traditional jazz world and the Latin Jazz world.

With this in mind, I’m going to spend some time looking into the similarities and differences between careers and artistic accomplishments of Fitzgerald and Gutierrez. I’d like to start with a total disclaimer here – this is not an attempt to compare Fitzgerald and Gutierrez in a way that declares one of them as a “better” musician. That would be an absurd argument – these are two of the most important singers in the development of their given styles. In my eyes, both of these wonderful vocalists sit on equal levels of supreme artistry. Instead, this article attempts to examine the parallels between the two musical worlds that these artists walked. I’ll look at some of the similar historical landmarks in their careers, dig into the musical material that they touched, and examine some key points of their musicianship. Hopefully along the way, we’ll look back upon Fitzgerald and Gutierrez and look into some attitudes about the relationship between jazz and Latin Jazz. It’s a fascinating comparison that shines some light upon two of the most important vocalists in jazz and brings us closer to an understanding about the relationship between two worlds.

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Repertoire
Both of these vocalists covered large amounts of repertoire during the course of their careers, often straddling the line between artistry and commercial appeal. They worked in different musical worlds, and as a result, they worked through different repertoire; still, the quantity and quality of the work remains fairly equal. Based upon recorded output alone, Fitzgerald turned out a much wider spectrum of music during the course of her career. Gutierrez’s live performance career equaled Fitzgerald though, and actually lasted much longer. It’s hard to give a definite answer at this point, but based upon the large catalogue of Fitzgerald’s recordings and Gutierrez’s long years of working through the vast repertoire of the Machito and Mario Bauza bands, these two vocalists covered some massive repertoire ground. Gutierrez broke some serious artistic boundaries with the Machito Orchestra, navigating vocals over jazz harmonies, a new piece of the job description for the Latin singer. Fitzgerald became a supreme songstress, covering a wide swatch of the great American songbook and working with some of the best musicians in jazz. Gutierrez also dedicated equal of amounts of time into pleasing the dance audiences, while Fitzgerald spent years chasing the popular music crowd in the sixties. Gutierrez and Fitzgerald were both busy vocalists that encountered the standard repertoire of their given genre on a large scale and dealt with the issues surrounding it.

Both musicians spent years performing with bands that catered more towards a popular audience with their repertoire. Fitzgerald scored her first major gig in 1935, working with the Chick Webb band, a relationship that endured past Webb’s death through 1942. During her time with the Chick Webb Orchestra, Fitzgerald pushed the band into the public spotlight repeatedly with lighter swing selections like “A-Tisket, A-Tasket” and “(If You Can’t Sing It) You’ll Have To Swing It (Mr. Paganini).” Gutierrez dipped into crowd pleasing selections with the Machito Orchestra as well, finding a connection with the audience through songs like “Si Si No No” and “U-Bla-Ba-Du.” In an interesting sort of way, these songs displayed both vocalists’ ability to shape a lyric; some of these songs were complex, some of them were fairly basic, but they all required a vocalist to bring them to life with a deeply seated personality. Both Fitzgerald and Gutierrez knew instinctively how to communicate with their audience through a lyric – when they had a song tailor written for their audiences though, they were absolutely unstoppable.

Like any great vocalist, Gutierrez and Fitzgerald dug deeply into the major composers and lyricists of their musical world, recording some of the best songs in history. Most jazz historians and musicians would point to Fitzgerald as the more significant interpreter of song, and in some ways, there’s weight to their argument. The vocalist dug deeply into the American Songbook, dedicating entire albums to the works of Cole Porter, Duke Ellington, Harold Arlen, Irving Berlin, Jerome Kern, Johnny Mercer, and more. Her recorded work represents some of the most potent and insightful interpretations of America’s composers than anything that existed before or after Fitzgerald. Although her recorded output can’t come close to Fitzgerald’s catalog, Gutierrez held an intimate knowledge of traditional Cuban song, an art form that she interpreted frequently during her career. Gutierrez didn’t work as a bandleader for most of her career, so she didn’t have complete control over repertoire choices. When she did tackle songs such as “Contigo En La Distancia,” “No Pienses Asi,” or “Que Me Falta,” she displayed the same potent ability to connect with classic repertoire as Fitzgerald. While some from the jazz world might frown upon this comparison, there has to be some clarification – these songs sit on the same level of complexity and importance as their American counterparts. Both singers became key interpreters of the most important songs in their genre, creating models for younger generations to come into contact with the main repertoire in their worlds.

Phrasing
Listeners familiar with either vocalist would cite their ability to phrase with the rhythmic intensity of their given style. Gutierrez certainly understood the rhythmic subtleties of clave and phrased with the appropriate melodic placement and emphases. On up-tempo numbers, she had the ability to phrase with a percussive intensity the pushed the band forward, building upon the momentum started by the rhythm section. Her tone and attack added a distinctive characteristic to the performance though, adding a soft edge to the rhythmic elements. Fitzgerald maintained a strong reputation as a vocalist that could swing with a ferocious intensity, a fact that certainly rang true throughout her career. She understood the perfect emphasis points to dig into the groove, hitting all the right notes short, long, or hard. Fitzgerald had listened very careful to the great soloists in jazz, which allowed her to develop intuitive horn-like phrasing. After years of application, all these musical elements became fluid key pieces of her performance, setting the standard for swing phrasing. Both of these singers maintained such a strong rhythmic identity that they forced their musicians to play at a higher level – if the musicians could not hold their own behind the vocalists, they needed to rise to the occasion or move one; it was sink or swim.

Improvisation – Scatting & Pregones
Both musicians improvised with skill and finesse, developing their improvisational skills by listening to some of the finest role models possible. Although both musicians spent ample time around some of the most important musicians in bebop, Fitzgerald really grabbed the reigns and developed her vocal skills around the genre. Her time traveling with the Dizzy Gillespie Big Band regularly placed her on the stage with some of the most important soloists in bebop, and she tried to capture the sound of the horn improvisations through the voice. This developed into her well-documented scat solo skills, which set the standard for vocal improvisations in a traditional jazz context. In the Afro-Cuban Jazz context, Gutierrez’s improvisation took a different shape than Fitzgerald’s scat solos. Gutierrez improvised during the coro pregon section of both traditional and dance tunes – a less horn-like approach that requires a singer to create spontaneous melodic, rhythmic, and lyrical content. Gutierrez heard the Machito rhythm section every night for years, giving her the rhythmic language for improvisation. She also built an understanding of traditional phrases during her time with Orquesta Anacaona in Cuba. She worked alongside her brother-in-law Machito, an excellent sonero, and she regularly encountered vocalists from groups led by Tito Puente, Tito Rodriguez, and more. Her pregones quickly became effortless and potent while nailing the stylistic qualities of the music with wit and precision. Both vocalists grew into model improvisers, and their performances served as role models for future generations.

Late Careers
The later careers of Fitzgerald and Gutierrez once again showed similarities, both musical and artistically. After years of flirting with pop music and crossover attempts during the sixties and early seventies, Fitzgerald once again teamed with Granz, this time on Pablo Records to make some great music. The vocalist returned to her classic repertoire, singing songs she made famous, but also dipping into new songbooks; she visited the repertoire of Antonio Carlos Jobim in 1981. She also teamed with some of the brightest stars in jazz including Count Basie, Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, Tommy Flanagan, and more. After over thirty years, Gutierrez left the Machito Orchestra in 1975, opting to perform with Mario Bauza’s new band. Although Gutierrez still worked as a band member behind a bandleader, her well-known connection to history made her a highly respected figure in this ensemble. Her touching interpretations of “La Vida Es Un Seuño,” “Al Fin,” and more stand as outstanding examples of a mastersinger interpreting standards. Chico O’Farrill tapped Gutierrez’s vocal skills for one track on his 2000 release Carambola, teaming two masters. Gutierrez stepped out of semi-retirement in 2004 to make a last amazing statement, working with conguero Candido Camero to record Inolvidable. This recording finds Gutierrez at her best, singing classic Cuban repertoire with a fine balance of tipico trappings and jazz embellishment. As both singers reached the end of their lives and careers, they returned to their roots and made major statements.

Reputation & Legacy
With both singers now passing onto another existence, their reputation and legacies have diverged tremendously. Fitzgerald died in 1996 at the age of 79, a victim of severe diabetes. She had built a reputation that placed her at the top of the jazz echelon, recognized as one of the most important figures in jazz. Her fame stepped out of jazz circles as well; listeners from all corners of the musical universe recognized Fitzgerald’s importance. She was honored with traditional symbols of musical excellence in United States culture – she won 14 Grammy Awards (including a lifetime achievement award in 1967), President Ronald Reagan presented her with The National Medal of Art and President George H.W. Bush bestowed the Presidential Medal of Freedom upon her. Gutierrez died on April 7, 2010 at the age of 94, after suffering pulmonary failure. Gutierrez was recognized as a supreme artist in her own community, but she did not receive national recognition on a wide scale level. After years of innovation and peerless performance, the traditional music world still had not paid tribute to Gutierrez and her fame stays isolated to the Latin music world. Most musicians from the Latin music world hold at least a surface knowledge of Fitzgerald, while musicians from the straight ahead jazz world would struggle to cite facts about Gutierrez. There’s an undeniable imbalance in the lasting legacies of these two musicians, despite their common histories.

The fact that the two singers experienced many of the same musical accomplishments and successes, albeit in different worlds, yet found different spots in the public eye, leaves us with a telling story about the two musical styles. Both Gutierrez and Fitzgerald were darlings of their given musical scene, respected for their artistry, stage presence, and more. Fitzgerald reached a larger audience through the broader base of the straight ahead jazz audience and a general attitude towards the style. Straight ahead jazz is seen as serious music, that requires hard work, study, and a committed lifestyle. It has found a home in academic institutions, settled into the concert halls, and soaked into popular American culture. Gutierrez remained somewhat isolated to the circle of Latin music admirers, never given the respect that she deserved in the greater public eye. Latin Jazz is slowly making inroads into schools and serious concert settings, but most people only see the dance roots of the music; for some reason, this is enough justification to discount the music’s artistic legitimacy. Unfortunately these attitudes dictate the fate of many musicians’ careers.

Final Thoughts
In many ways, the stories of Fitzgerald and Gutierrez ran parallel paths, much like the history of traditional jazz and Afro-Cuban jazz. The singers worked in different world, but they were pure equals – a lesson that should be carried into thoughts on the styles. Latin Jazz isn’t a sub-set of traditional jazz, just like Gutierrez wasn’t an inferior singer to Fitzgerald. Traditional jazz isn’t a more serious music than Latin Jazz; Fitzgerald reached into novelty and commercialism with the same depth as Gutierrez. It’s time to look past the things that separate these two worlds and come to a respect and honesty about the rich contributions of musicians from traditional and Latin Jazz. When we celebrate the great singers in jazz, we should rejoice equally around the legacies of Fitzgerald and Gutierrez, recognizing the important contributions that they made to the world.

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Check Out These Related Posts:
Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Graciela (1915 – 2010)
Sitting Between Jazz And Latin Culture: Celebrating Juan Tizol
Latin Jazz Standards: 10 Versions Of Tin Tin Deo
Weekly Latin Jazz Video Fix: Machito & His Afro-Cubans

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