RFI: Vocal jazz songform

Yeah, that one is great.

jaymc would something like amina claudine myers' african blues fit with style you were looking for? https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hk2fg2cE27I

So today on WBGO for Dave Brubeck’s centennial (which is actually today), Michael Bourne played a musical Brubeck wrote with his wife Iola, The Real Ambassadors, starring Louis Armstrong and featuring Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, which I was glad to hear, since I had read about but never listened to it. The musical was recorded in the studio first, but by the time it was performed live at the Monterey Jazz Festival Annie Ross was gone and had been replaced by Yolande Bavan. I went down a tiny rabbit hole and found this [u=https://www.jazzwax.com/2007/11/a-chat-with-yol.html]extremely interesting 3-part interview[/u] with Bavan, and am now listening to the live albums of that trio, including Live at Newport ‘63, featuring another centennial artist of this month, Clark Terry.

Oh yeah, Clark Terry's "Mumbles" routine counts as vocalese or close enough. Had neglected the LH & Bavan era, thanks for tip.

Yeah, I enjoyed a few of those Mumbles routines today, "Mumbles" itself and this one called "Never."
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f7XtciQyhJA

LH & Bavan from the 1962 (not 1963) Newport Jazz Festival
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xgxfCsGTVhY

Thanks! Don't think I've ever heard that line-up before---what a position to be in, having to follow the tenure of starpowered Annie Ross. So I think I read that Dave Lambert stopped to help a stranded, maybe injured motorist and got struck himself, fatally. Hendricks, with his offspring or whomever, used to irritate me on radio shows in the 80s: his voice had gotten too dry and stiff for all that spotlight, and maybe it always was, other than brief solo breaks in the trio format. But good to hear more prime-of-life trio, thanks again.

Yes, that’s what happened to Dave Lambert, unfortunately. Bavan tells a somewhat detailed version of the story in that interview I linked.

Yeah, didn't want details; I know and know of several people that's happened to, resulting in major injury at least (Andre Dubus got all tore up, lastingly). Reminds me also of a transcribed conversation between Jon Savage and JG Ballard: Savage mentions how motorway design and construction lead to psychopathic behavior, making it so easy to hit and be hit, thus hard not to run.

In some areas, anyway.

Hey, check it out. https://jazztimes.com/reviews/books/peter-jones-this-is-bop-jon-hendricks-and-the-art-of-vocal-jazz-equinox/

Reviewer A.D. Amorosi in the spirit: "Having a fellow jazz singer and the author of the award-winning This Is Hip: The Life of Mark Murphy tackle the roots of bop vocalese and its firestarter...is sort of like asking one of the Apostles to take on the entire Bible...requires nothing less than a surgeon’s skills and a comedian’s ability to pace oneself to the punchline." Author Peter Jones is a jazz singer too? Is he good?

No idea. Good question.

Michelle Hendricks, daughter of Jon, brings words, voice, and something of a new spark to an old fave, "Song from The Old Country," by and with the now late great, always jumpin' Adams-Pullen Quartet:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HpZW5ulfWYM

(Lewis Nash in there, doing just fine in the wake of Dannie Richmond RIP)

Should have said "Michele," sorry.

Speaking again of xpost "Song For My Father"---this was posted just now on So, does anyone know what "Rikki, Don't Lose That Number" is about?

I did find this:

In his 2006 autobiography, Let's Get to the Nitty Gritty, Silver recalled events leading up to the iconic 1964 recording following a visit to Brazil as a guest of pianist Sergio Mendes during the week-long Carnival festivities.

"Believe me, Carnival provided much excitement," he wrote. "After returning home to New York from my visit with Sergio and (drummer) Dom Um, I was haunted by the bossa nova rhythm I had heard in Brazil. So I said to myself, 'I'm going to try to write a song using that rhythmic concept.' I sat down at the piano for a few hours and came up with a new song using the bossa nova rhythm. However, the melody didn't sound Brazilian to me; it sounded more like some of the old Cape Verdean melodies my dad had played. Dad had always wanted me to take some of the old Cape Verdean songs and do jazz interpretations of them. This didn't appeal to me, but when I realized I had written a new song with a Brazilian rhythmic concept and a Cape Verdean melodic concept, I immediately thought about dedicating the song to Dad. So I titled it 'Song for My Father'."

https://www.wrti.org/arts-desk/2021-06-18/the-story-behind-horace-silvers-song-for-my-father

― birdistheword, Monday, October 4, 2021

(Because of the "SFMF" lift on "Rikki")

To be fair:
Fagen told All About Jazz in 2011: “There was never a conscious thought about picking up Horace Silver’s intro… as for the piano line, I think I had heard it on an old Sergio Mendes album. Maybe that where Horace heard it, too (laughs).”

xxxpost Speaking of Dee Dee B. and words added to instrumentals: dunno when Horace Sliver wrote lyrics of "Song For My Father"---maybe when he wrote the melody, but I didn't hear it sung 'til Andy Bey; my fave version is Bridgewater's, but worth hearing by whomever:

I wrote a song for my father in hopes it would give him a thrill after seeing Brazil.
My father’s music came through me but never got to me until
I went down to Brazil---
In Rio all day long, I heard my father’s song...
His father was Portuguese-Cape Verdean, born on a CV island.

― dow, Tuesday, July 28, 2020

(Also performances etc. posted upthread)

Andy Bey just turned 82. Not sure if he is performing anymore these days, but still a lot of recordings to listen to.

Sheila Jordan, "Bird's Song" (based on "Relaxin' at Camarillo"):
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=z1JuKM8lOj4

Oh, man, my heart skipped a beat when Shelia's name just showed there. I went to see her recently and talked to her a a brief moment but of course kept my mask on and was afraid to breathe on her.

She did that “Bird’s Song” recording at the age of 89. She’s 93 now.

Wow, I thought the age was finally beginning to show in her voice, but I still like it.
Xpost Sorry,James! Yeah, that's gonna happen w the actuarial tables kicking in all over the place these days.

Not vocalese, but Susannah McCorkle was one of the most word-wise of jazz singers---also a prize-winning short story writer, but wouldn't do original lyrics, said she didn't have it---did do wonderful English lyrics for Brazilian ballads---no idea how accurate as translations, but they sound great---here's a 17 -minute excerpt of a vintage comma wine-fine Xmas set---singing and comments on some songs---rerun Dec. 24, 2021 (following John Waters on his favorite Christmas songs, so look for that segment too:

TERRY GROSS, HOST:

This is FRESH AIR. We're celebrating Christmas Eve with excerpts of shows from our archive. Next, we go all the way back to 1988 for a great concert of Christmas songs performed by the late Susannah McCorkle. 1988 was also the year she was described as the outstanding female jazz singer of her generation by jazz critic Francis Davis. Full disclosure - he's my husband. Susannah was also a writer and translator, and her love of language was apparent in her interpretation of lyrics. Joining Susannah for this concert in our studio was pianist Lee Musiker and bass player Dean Johnson.
https://www.npr.org/2021/12/24/1066327058/jazz-singer-susannah-mccorkle-performs-a-holiday-concert-for-fresh-air

Not jazz, but out to lunch for sure--John Waters plays some of his Christmas favorites:
https://www.npr.org/2021/12/24/1066805815/filmmaker-john-waters-puts-his-own-spin-on-christmas

O Susannah! Used to love to turn jazz vocal noobs on to her when I worked in the CD store:
We Remember Singer Susannah McCorkle
May 25, 2001 12:00 AM ET
Heard on Fresh Air
with excerpts from her Fresh Air interviews and concerts. She died last weekend after jumping to her death. She was 55. She had 17 albums to her credit and a repertoire of more than 3000 songs. Besides being a literate interpreter of American popular song, she was also a prose writer who published fiction in Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan and The O. Henry Book of Short Stories. We also talk with Susannah McCorkle's ex-husband and former manager Dan Dinicola.(REBROADCASTS from 7/17/87, 12/23/88, 4/12/91, 7/3/96).
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1123480

Jazz Critics poll 2021 Vocal jazz list

Vocals

Veronica Swift, This Bitter Earth (Mack Avenue) 17
(tie) Gretchen Parlato Flor (Edition) 9
(tie) Sara Serpa, Intimate Strangers (Biophilia) 9
(tie) Jen Shyu & Jade Tongue, Zero Grasses: Ritual for the Losses (Pi) 9
(tie) Jazzmeia Horn and Her Noble Force Dear Love (Empress Legacy) 7
(tie) Esperanza Spalding, Songwrights Apothecary Lab (Concord) 7
(tie). Mary LaRose, Out Here (Little (i) Music
(tie) Kate McGarry + Keith Ganz Ensemble, What to Wear in the Dark (Resilience) 6
(tie) Theo Bleckmann and the Westerlies, This Land (Westerlies Music) 4 (tie) Samara Joy, Samara Joy (Whirlwind) (tie) Roseanna Vitro Sing a Song of Bird (Skyline) 4

So Veronica Swift is breaking out finally?

I guess so. Out of touch with current jazz vocalists me is just hearing of her

II didn't even know she put out a full album yet.

I don't think I ever knowingly heard Susannah McCorkle's voice before today. Man, she really was great.

Yeah, this is one of my faves by her:

Sabia AllMusic Review by Scott Yanow
Susannah McCorkle spoke Italian, Spanish, German, and Portuguese in addition to English; she had worked as an interpreter before she devoted herself to singing. On her second Concord CD, McCorkle sang ten Brazilian songs plus "Estate," switching between English, Portuguese, and Italian. There is no communication problem as far as conveying her feelings and the high quality of the melodies, so this is a more accessible release than one might think. The vocalist's backup group includes pianist Lee Musiker, Scott Hamilton on tenor, and guitarist Emily Remler.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Z4c8rcJ4rVw

Veronica Swift, This Bitter Earth (Mack Avenue)-- Jazz critic poll winner

Veronica Swift's opening rendition of the title track has a different and contemporary arrangement to it, but the rest sounds more traditional and even studied to me

Listening to this now. First track is really interesting. Have been on the fence about her singing for the past two years. She's obvious got a Big Voice and this album of diverse material may be suited to her but we will see.

There is another newer singer who I became aware of a tiny bit later who think I prefer slightly, of Armenian origin and her name is...

Lucy Yeghiazaryan.

And she recently married one of her musical collaborators who is also really good and that is....

Grant Stewart

Will check---speaking of studied, or anyway bourgie, but mainly they're really into it!
New York Voices: "Sing! Sing! Sing!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Vf6wxhtEJz8

What other New York Voices vocalise is good?

I dunno but I sort of got used to them because they would always show up on Michael Bourne's show before he retired recently.

Some good vocalizing at Smalls the other day showed up recently in my feed. Perhaps I will post the link.

http://twitter.com/i/timeline

try again

I've enjoyed KP's vocalese since getting most of the best on Fantasy twofer The Source in early 70s, but think the below was mostly instrumental? TP lifted the stuck in gorilla bit from a Robert Bloch story (RB's mental revenge on real life poisoner of neighbor kid) https://t.co/sSDcko7fgO

— Don Allred (@0wlred) August 28, 2022

real life drug poisoner of neighbor kid, in Topanga or Laurel Canyon I think---scary story.

O Susannah! Used to love to turn jazz vocal noobs on to her when I worked in the CD store:
We Remember Singer Susannah McCorkle
May 25, 2001 12:00 AM ET
Heard on Fresh Air
with excerpts from her Fresh Air interviews and concerts. She died last weekend after jumping to her death. She was 55. She had 17 albums to her credit and a repertoire of more than 3000 songs. Besides being a literate interpreter of American popular song, she was also a prose writer who published fiction in Mademoiselle, Cosmopolitan and The O. Henry Book of Short Stories. We also talk with Susannah McCorkle's ex-husband and former manager Dan Dinicola.(REBROADCASTS from 7/17/87, 12/23/88, 4/12/91, 7/3/96).
https://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=1123480

Thanks dow - I actually just discovered her music. (I bought a large shipment of Penguin-recommended jazz CD's for peanuts and her Johnny Mercer album was one of them.)

I looked her up on Wikipedia after enjoying the album and saw what happened with her. Tremendously sad. The address where she lived (and took her life) is actually close to where I used to work back in the early 2010s, and I walked past that location many times while I was there.

Glad you dig her, bird----check xpost Sabia too!
Haven't heard the Mercer, but reminds me that she was sometimes tagged as retro, which she found creepy--the people that wanted her to "wear long white gloves" and so on---also the possible political implications, like the "conservative" connotations of early Jazz in Suits, also what happened with her Cali peers the Carpenters, praised by Nixon for all things pure(actually it now seems like they were just into the West Coast hot house sunshine pop sensibility, a la Curt Boettcher and so on). She was a child of Berkeley, but *musically* not much in thee swim of things out there, or not in terms of what she wanted to perform (although she did do Paul Simon's "Train In The Distance," for instance).

Getting back to or toward vocalese: local station has been playing Carmen McRae's take on "Ruby My Dear," re-titled "Dear Ruby."

Feel like Carmen McCrae gives Jon Hendricks a serious run for his money in the Monk vocalese department.