LYCOS RETRIEVER 
Jon Hendricks
built 641 days ago
Jon Hendricks (born September 16, 1921 in Newark, Ohio, U.S.) is a jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists (such as the big band arrangements of Duke Ellington and Count Basie). Furthermore, he is considered one of the best practitioners of scat singing, which involves vocal jazz soloing. For his work as a lyricist, jazz critic and historian Leonard Feather called him the "Poet Laureate of Jazz" while Time dubbed him the "James Joyce of Jive." Al Jarreau has called him "pound-for-pound the best jazz singer on the planet—maybe that's ever been".[1]
Source:
Jon Hendricks is not only one of the world's favorite jazz vocalists, but is widely considered to be the “Father of Vocalese", the greatest innovator of the art form. Vocalese is the art of setting lyrics to recorded jazz instrumental standards (such as the big band arrangements of Duke Ellington and Count Basie), then arranging voices to sing the parts of the instruments. Thus is created an entirely new form of the work, one that tells a lyrically interesting story while retaining the integrity of the music. Hendricks, founder of the legendary vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, is the only person many jazz greats have allowed to lyricize their music, for no one writes hipper, wittier, or more touching words, while extracting from a tune the emotions intended by the composer, more sympathetically than Hendricks. For his work as a lyricist, jazz critic and historian Leonard Feather called him the “Poet Laureate of Jazz," while Time dubbed him the “James Joyce of Jive."
Source:
At the age of 14, Jon Hendricks often sang with Art Tatum. He continued to sing and ... played drums while attending college in Toledo, Ohio, where he studied literature and later, law. On one occasion during this period he worked with Charlie Parker, who advised him to take up music professionally. After moving to New York Hendricks recorded Four Brothers (1955) with Dave Lambert and Sing a Song of Basie (1957) with Lambert and Annie Ross. The vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross soon became popular for its settings of lyrics to jazz arrangements; it continued until 1964 (Yolande Bavan replaced Ross in 1962). In 1960, Hendricks wrote and directed Evolution of the Blues Song for the Modern Jazz Festival at Monterey, California.
Source:
Jon Hendricks, a jazz legend and winner of 7 Grammy awards, performed a brief weekend set, backed by a trio of piano, bass and drums that was anything but standard. The trio opened up the night with a swinging song that featured engrossing solos by each member. The song’s intent was to warm up the audience before bringing out Mr. Hendricks. The performance of the trio was an example of complimentary and melding interaction between the members. This was prevalent throughout the evening’s set.
Source:
Jon Hendricks was born in Newark Ohio in 1921 as the ninth of fifteen children. He began his musical career singing in his father’s church choir in Newark, Ohio. Moving to Toledo, he sang as a boy-soprano over radio station WSPD for five years. In high school he wrote and appeared in musical shows. Later, in the Army Quartermaster Corps, he staged and wrote songs for several army shows. For a time he was a pre-law student at the University of Toledo, but he later came to New York; his chief goal became writing lyrics.
Source:
One of singer Jon Hendricks' better post-Lambert, Hendricks & Ross recordings of the 1960s, this spirited live set has been reissued on CD by Polygram under the Smash subsidiary. Recorded in Sausalito, CA, with local musicians (the fine but obscure tenor Noel Jewkes, pianist Flip Nunez, bassist Fred Marshall, and drummer Jerry Granelli), the CD does an excellent job of summing up Hendricks' music of the era. He performs some hip bop ("Stockholm Sweetnin'"), revisits some of his previous group material ("Cloudburst" and "Shiny Stockings"), sings a couple of current tunes ("This Could Be the Start of Something Big" and "Watermelon Man"), performs a touching version of "Old Folks," breaks up the place with his humorous "Gimme That Wine," and revives the ancient ballad "I Wonder What's Become of Sally." Excellent music. ~ Scott Yanow, All Music Guide
Source:
MORE ABOUT
Jon Hendricks