Jazz/Cabaret/Standards singer

Q: Tell us about a project you worked on you are especially proud of and why. What was your role?

A: I had a gig at Smoke Jazz Club in NYC, and my friend from CA, bari sax player Aaron Lington was on the gig. I let Aaron do one of his originals in the middle of the set. A lyricist friend of mine was at the show and asked Aaron if he could write lyrics to the song. They collaborated, and asked me to sing the finished piece. That song - The Bad With the Good is on my website at www.alexiscole.com/music I'm so proud that I fostered that collaboration and was able to bring the song to fruition.

Q: What are you working on at the moment?

A: I've been working with producer Jon Burr on the repertoire of a wonderful female writer's songs to her family. They're lovely and I'm so inspired!

Q: Is there anyone on SoundBetter you know and would recommend to your clients?

A: Producer Jon Burr is great at taking your melody and making it into a full production.

Q: What's your 'promise' to your clients?

A: We'll work on the track until you're in love with it.

Q: What do you like most about your job?

A: Making people happy, and helping bring people's creative vision to life. I believe we're all innately creative, and a lot of the semi pro and amateur writers I work with are brilliant and haven't had the opportunities that professional artists get. I love to give their work professional quality.

Q: What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A: Yes.

Q: What's the biggest misconception about what you do?

A: Haha, many people when you tell them you're a singer, they say, no, I mean, what do you Do? I've been a professional singer for 25 years, and I'm so lucky and happy that this can be my work.

Q: What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A: Fall in love with her voice

Q: If you were on a desert island and could take just 5 pieces of gear, what would they be?

A: mortar, pestle, flint, ukulele, and a wonderbag. I'm very practical :)

Q: What was your career path? How long have you been doing this?

A: I went to college for music, then worked a few day jobs and music teaching while I ramped up my performance career. I did a few contracts in a quartet on a cruise ship, then in a lounge in Japan, then I joined a big band in the Army for 7 years. Now, I'm the head of the Jazz Vocal program at SUNY Purchase College in NY, and I've been touring and recording exclusively for almost 20 years.

Q: How would you describe your style?

A: Classic Jazz Vocals

Q: Which artist would you like to work with and why?

A: I'm dying to work with my father, pianist and composer Mark Finkin. We're working on a project of cataloging his songs to get ready for some comprehensive recordings. Although working at a very high level, he had a day job until his retirement a few years ago, so we're really trying to get his music to the front burner and produce all his songs.

Q: Can you share one music production tip?

A: Songs can be pitched in a slightly lower key for recording than for performance. I like to record things in a key a whole or half step down from where I would generally want to perform it, because there's no live band to cut over, and I'm able to get a smokier more intimate sound in a lower key.

Q: What type of music do you usually work on?

A: Great American Songbook style songs

Q: What's your strongest skill?

A: Lyric interpretation, and good pitch. I studied Indian Classical singing, and learned a little about microtonal singing, which made me very aware of my pitch at every moment.

Q: What do you bring to a song?

A: A lifetime of experience and experiences.

Q: What's your typical work process?

A: Learn the song, ask the composer or producer questions, track, ask for feedback, track again til everyone's happy.

Q: Tell us about your studio setup.

A: I prefer to put tracks in my headphones and record directly to my Zoom Q8 stereo xy mic. The quality is great. I can also go in to my laptop with the Apogee Duet and my Shure KSM 9.

Q: What other musicians or music production professionals inspire you?

A: I'm so inspired when I think of how Ella Fitzgerald and Frank Sinatra brought so many songs to life. They were getting hundreds of new songs a year to learn and record, and they didn't have the luxury of the technology we have now.

Q: Describe the most common type of work you do for your clients.

A: My clients usually write songs or lyrics. They give me a lead sheet and I learn the song and record the vocal over a track that they've prepared. I can also play a scratch piano part for them.