Gladys Bentley (508 views)

[kaji]

Gladys Alberta Bentley (12 August 1907 - 18 January 1960)
Voice Type: Mezzo-Soprano
Vocal Range: E♭3-B♭5

Significant High Notes:

B♭5 ("It Went to the Girl Next Door")
A5 ("Lay It on the Line")
G♯5 ("Boogie'n My Woogie", "Thrill Me Till I Get My Fill")
G5 ("Kazoo Moan")
F5 ("How Much Can I Stand?", "Kazoo Moan", "Wild Geese Blues")
E♭5 ("It Went to the Girl Next Door", "Moanful Wailin' Blues", "Thrill Me Till I Get My Fill", "Washboards Get Together", "Worried Blues")
D5 ("Big Gorilla Blues", "Boogie'n My Woogie", "Jingle Jangle Jump", "Kazoo Moan", "Red Beans & Rice Blues", "Them There Eyes")
C♯5 ("Easter Mardi Gras", "Find Out What He Likes (and How He Likes It)", "It Went to the Girl Next Door", "June-Teenth Jamboree")
C5 ("Before Midnight", "Boogie Woogie Cue", "Easter Mardi Gras", "Find Out What He Likes (and How He Likes It)", "Fourth of July Boogie", "How Long, How Long Blues", "It Went to the Girl Next Door", "Jingle Jangle Jump", "Lay It on the Line", "Moanful Wailin' Blues", "Red Beans & Rice Blues", "Them There Eyes", "Thrill Me Till I Get My Fill", "Washboards Get Together", "Wild Geese Blues", "Worried Blues")
B4 ("Big Gorilla Blues", "June-Teenth Jamboree")
B♭4 ("Before Midnight", "Big Gorilla Man", "Boogie'n My Woogie", "Boogie Woogie Cue", "Easter Mardi Gras", "Find Out What He Likes (and How He Likes It)", "How Long, How Long Blues", "How Much Can I Stand?", "It Went to the Girl Next Door", "Jingle Jangle Jump", "Lay It on the Line", "Moanful Wailin' Blues", "Red Beans & Rice Blues", "Them There Eyes", "Thrill Me Till I Get My Fill", "Washboards Get Together", "Wild Geese Blues", "Worried Blues")

Significant Low Notes:

G♯3 ("Ground Hog Blues", "How Long, How Long Blues", "How Much Can I Stand?", "Red Beans and Rice", "Thrill Me Till I Get My Fill", "Wild Geese Blues", "Worried Blues")
G3 ("Big Gorilla Blues", "Jingle Jangle Jump")
F3 ("Boogie'n My Woogie", "Kazoo Moan")
E♭3 ("How Long, How Long Blues")
........................................
Blue marks notes sung in head voice.
Italics mark non-melodic notes.
Boldface marks notes that are considered to be particularly notable examples of this person's vocal capabilities.

SPOILER: Click to show

{Questionable notes}
A5 ("Big Gorilla Blues" ^[3])
.......................................................
[1] marks yelps and short trills in high range or anacrusis and short dips in low range.
[2] marks notes of questionable identity that cannot be confirmed to be the singer in question.
[3] marks non-melodic notes that don't have a significant enough pitch to warrant inclusion.
[4] marks notes that possess uncertain pitch or have been pitch-shifted.
[5] marks notes that do not fit the previous criteria but are not of a substantial enough quality to warrant counting towards the singer's range.

[Bink]

Yo, where exactly is the E♭3 in "How Long, How Long Blues"?

[kaji]

Mar 30, 2024 4:32:49 GMT Bink said:

Yo, where exactly is the E♭3 in "How Long, How Long Blues"?

A couple seconds after she goes down. Listen carefully to the clip. 

[Bink]

Yeah I ain't hearing nothing there man.

[kaji]

0:33 0:55 1:37 1:58 2:18 literally clearly there

[Bink]

No it very much is not

[Electric Mami]

As discussed in the Discord I do hear them personally, and don't think hitting so many dips for such a low voice (as in, E♭3 doesn't sound that low for her tbh), as short as the dips are, is accidental nor coincidental at this point, especially when it's on the same lyrics/passage each time. 1:15 is clearer but a little sharp, so I would count these personally

[avi]

I don't hear the one that's linked but I do hear one at 0:55 and at 1:58. I believe the other ones are there but it's probably best to link one of those for clarity, probably 1:58 because there are less instruments playing to obscure it and it seems much more like an individual note than a slide

[Steingrim]

Mar 30, 2024 6:15:49 GMT kaji said:

0:33 0:55 1:37 1:58 2:18 literally clearly there

With a lot of volume, I can pick up on the one at 1:59. They are almost just implied, like she's going for them without actually setting the notes.