John Fordham: How important are lyrics in jazz?

Do singers - or lyrics for that matter - mean much to jazzers? And should they? As a quick scan of the current London Jazz festival's packed programme reveals, jazz remains a predominantly instrumental music, despite the fact that when it makes its rare incursions into the world of chart hits or mainstream acclaim, it's usually because a singer has taken it there. After all, you don't have to be one of the cognoscenti to have heard of Jamie Cullum, Norah Jones or Diana Krall - or their giant pr...

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