Lambert, Hendricks and Ross vocal jazz trio

Certainly one of the premier jazz vocal acts of all time, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross revolutionized vocal music during the late '50s and early '60s by turning away from the increasingly crossover slant of the pop world to embrace the sheer musicianship inherent in vocal jazz. Applying the concepts of bop harmonies to swinging vocal music, the trio transformed dozens of instrumental jazz classics into their own songs, taking scat solos and trading off licks and riffs in precisely the same fashion of their favorite improvising musicians.

Vocal arranger Dave Lambert wrote dense clusters of vocal lines for each voice that, while only distantly related, came together splendidly. Jon Hendricks wrote clever, witty lyrics to jazz standards like "Summertime," "Moanin'" and "Twisted," and Ross proved to be one of the strongest, most dexterous female voices in the history of jazz vocals. Together Lambert, Hendricks & Ross paved the way for vocal groups like Manhattan Transfer while earning respect from vocalists and jazz musicians alike.

The act grew out of apartment jam sessions by Lambert, a pioneering arranger and bop vocalist who had appeared in groups led by Gene Krupa and Buddy Stewart -- though he had also gained infamy leading a vocal choir on the disastrous "Charlie Parker with Voices" session recorded for Clef in 1953. That same year, Lambert met Jon Hendricks, who had similar vocal specialties that extended to lyrical changes. The pair debuted with a radically reworked version of "Four Brothers," which featured lyrics by Hendricks and note-for-note duplications of the original solos by Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz and Woody Herman.

They recorded a few other sides but were unsuccessful until a chance meeting with solo vocalist Annie Ross hit paydirt. The first LP by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross was 1957's Sing a Song of Basie. Though the trio originally intended to hire a complete vocal choir to supplement their voices, the general incompetence of the studio voices led them to multi-track their own voices. The results were excellent, incredible vocal recreations of complete solos from Basie classics like "One O'Clock Jump," "Down for Double" and "Avenue C" with added lyrics by Hendricks. The next year's follow-up, Sing Along with Basie, featured the bandleader himself and his group in a supporting role.

Perhaps realizing that multi-tracking was a bit of a gimmick, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross then recruited a straight rhythm trio and began touring and recording that way. The first studio effort, 1959's The Swingers!, represented a leap in quality and musicianship, leading to a contract with Columbia later that year. The trio recorded three albums for the label during the next two years, including a tribute to Duke Ellington. All three had pursued separate solo projects during the trio's run.

After constant touring began to wear her out, Ross left the group in 1962. Lambert and Hendricks replaced her with Yolande Bavan, and continued recording for RCA. However, it was nearly impossible to replace a soloist of Ross' caliber, and the three albums Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan recorded between 1962 and 1964 were decidely below par. The group broke up in 1964, and Lambert's death in a traffic accident just two years later quashed any hopes of a reunion. Both Hendricks and Ross continue to perform and record, with Ross doing much theater and film work as well.

Discography

The Hottest New Group In Jazz

Of course, Lambert Hendricks and Ross are no longer new, though they were the epitome of cool jazz in the 1950's. This re-issued double CD set contains a career retrospective - 39 songs worth, though not everything that was on the (unfortunately) discontinued "Twisted" CD - and is a fabulous value. The three personalities of Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and the British Annie Ross complimented and balanced each other uniquely, pushing the jazz envelope, while always retaining their warmth and sensuality. Accompanied by a rhythm combo, and sometimes horns, songs such as "Caravan," "Moanin'" and "Centerpiece" are just as vital now as they ever were. Highly recommended.

Sing A Song Of Basie

The first album that launched their career, the trio of Jon Hendricks, Dave Lambert and the English Annie Ross pioneered the use of voices patterned on instrumental parts. The daring of this group creates a giddy excitement, which can be heard on tracks such as "It's Sand, Man," whereby the three voices (accompanied by piano, bass and drums) gain altitude in a series of ascending patterns that thrill the senses. Though Ross in particular possesses a fine voice, the attraction is not in the prettiness of the sound as much as the interplay of the voices, and the utter originality of their interpretations. Every song is enchanting.

Improvisations For The Human Voice

Fans of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross specifically, and vocal jazz in general, have long heard about the early sides recorded before the trio came together in 1957. In fact, each member -- Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks, and Annie Ross -- was separately a pioneer in bop-inspired vocal improvisation, the type of vocalizing that concentrated on the most purely musical aspects of singing. The El Records compilation, Improvisations for the Human Voice, compiles 25 of those early sides and provides a terrific complement to their best recordings, the string of LPs they recorded for Columbia between 1959 and 1962 (which were collected on an excellent two-CD compilation, The Hottest New Group in Jazz). These tracks comprise a wealth of seminal vocal sides by the most inventive minds in the art of vocalese.

Everybody's Boppin'

To listen to this trio reveals what a great influence this group has been on so many artists, in terms of choice of material and style. The most sophisticated and hip vocal treatments - Hendricks was a foremost developer of the vocalese technique - they change moods on a dime and are impossible to predict. Ross takes the lead on "Midnight Indigo," a sultry trickle of sweat on the back of the neck. "Moanin'" mixes up roadhouse blues with the sweetest of refrains. "Summertime" is just on the inside of a discordant wail, an eerie lament. Also included: "Cloudburst" and "Centerpiece."

Jon Hendricks: Boppin' at the Blue Note

In a live recording at The Blue Note in New York City, John Carl (“Jon”) Hendricks, the father of vocalese, is complimented by a singing team made up of wife Judith, daughters Michele and Aria, Kevin Burke and trio, and augmented by fine horn arrangements played by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, trombonist Al Grey and saxophonists Red Holloway and Benny Golson. Hendricks maintains his remarkable knack for spontaneous invention amidst the company of stalwart sidemen, whose splendid single and mingled horn renderings are woven into Hendricks’ vocals. Much to the amusement of the audience, Hendricks’ challenges Wynton Marsalis to an amazing fast-paced scatting match on Hendricks’ original, Everybody’s Boppin’. Hendricks’ inspired vocal team enhances this live recording, together with Michele, the three vocalists stretch and stop, bleet and bop through their horn-like vocal improvisations, much in the manner of 1940s “cutting” sessions. From bluesy ballads to racing bebop, Hendricks, along with his singing team, stirs up a tightly blended jazz jam of classically Hendricks-embellished popular tunes. Over the course of his career, he has worked with the jazz greats - Thelonious Monk, Dizzy Gillespie and Duke Ellington. Hendricks shows he is still on top with this superb live release.

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Lambert, Hendricks & Ross

Discography

The Hottest New Group In Jazz

Sing A Song Of Basie

Improvisations For The Human Voice

Everybody's Boppin'

Jon Hendricks: Boppin' at the Blue Note

For More of The Primarily A Cappella On-Line Catalog

RSS - New Releases