lambert, hendricks

Biography

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross was a pioneering American jazz vocal trio that helped define and popularize vocalese—the practice of writing lyrics to existing jazz instrumentals and improvisations—during the late 1950s and early 1960s.[4][3][7] Formed in 1957 by vocalist-arranger Dave Lambert, lyricist-vocalist Jon Hendricks, and Scottish-born singer Annie Ross, the group emerged after Lambert and Hendricks had begun experimenting together with bop-influenced vocal arrangements, notably on a vocalese version of Woody Herman’s “Four Brothers.”[2][3] Their breakthrough came with the album Sing a Song of Basie (recorded 1957, released 1958) for ABC-Paramount, on which they overdubbed their own three voices to recreate the sections of the Count Basie Orchestra, with Hendricks supplying intricate lyrics for entire arrangements and solos.[4][2][7] The record was a hit in both jazz and popular circles, immediately establishing them as one of the most innovative and technically demanding vocal groups of the era.[1][3]

Building on this success, the trio recorded Sing Along with Basie in 1959 with the Count Basie Orchestra itself, followed by a series of albums for Columbia—The Swingers!, The Hottest New Group in Jazz, and High Flying—that showcased their dazzling three-part harmonies, conversational scat exchanges, and humor-laced, narrative lyrics.[4][2][5] Their Ellington tribute and pieces like “Moanin’,” “Twisted,” and “Comin’ Home” became touchstones of vocal jazz, and High Flying won the 1962 Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group, while Sing a Song of Basie was later inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998.[4][2] Lambert’s dense, bop-derived arrangements, Hendricks’ sophisticated, story-driven vocalese texts, and Ross’s extraordinary flexibility and power made them a racially integrated, mixed-gender ensemble that stood out visually and musically in 1950s America.[7] Voted Best Vocal Group in DownBeat’s readers’ poll from 1959 to 1963, they effectively re-centered vocal jazz on swing, bebop, and high-level musicianship rather than pop crossover, before Annie Ross’s departure in 1962 led to a brief continuation as Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan and eventual dissolution in 1964.[4][1][3]

Despite a relatively brief recording career as a trio, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross exerted a lasting influence on vocal groups and solo singers alike, inspiring later ensembles such as The Manhattan Transfer and The Pointer Sisters and shaping the approaches of artists like Joni Mitchell and Bette Midler.[3][2][6] Their work demonstrated that voices could function like a big band’s horn sections and soloists without sacrificing lyrical content, effectively validating the singing voice as both a carrier of language and a fully fledged jazz instrument.[7] Subsequent reunions, particularly Hendricks and Ross’s performances together late in life, kept elements of the repertoire alive and introduced new generations to their innovations, while critics and historians continue to regard them as one of the premier vocal acts in jazz history, with an originality and technical daring that has rarely been matched.[2][3][5]

Fun Facts

• On Sing a Song of Basie, the trio originally planned to use a full vocal choir to emulate the Count Basie Orchestra, but when the hired singers could not handle the jazz phrasing, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross instead overdubbed all the parts themselves, creating a three-voice ‘big band’ entirely through multitracking.[2][3][7]
• The vocalese technique that Lambert, Hendricks & Ross helped bring to a new level involves writing lyrics not just for melodies but also for existing instrumental solos; their versions often reproduced famous improvisations note-for-note with words, effectively turning sax or trumpet lines into singable stories.[2][3][7]
• Their album High Flying earned them a Grammy Award for Best Performance by a Vocal Group in 1962, and decades later Sing a Song of Basie was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998, underscoring the group’s enduring critical acclaim.[4]
• Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were a racially integrated, mixed-gender trio at a time when such lineups were unusual in American popular music: Dave Lambert was a white arranger from Boston, Jon Hendricks an African-American vocalist and lyricist, and Annie Ross a Scottish-born former child film star.[7]

Musical Connections

Mentors/Influences

• Count Basie - Major artistic influence whose big-band recordings provided the source material and model for the trio’s foundational vocalese arrangements. (Sing a Song of Basie (recreating Basie band arrangements and solos), Sing Along with Basie (direct collaboration with the Count Basie Orchestra).) [c. 1957–1959]
• Woody Herman and his “Four Brothers” sax section (Al Cohn, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz) - Their recording “Four Brothers” inspired Hendricks to write early vocalese lyrics and provided the template for Lambert and Hendricks’ first major collaboration. (Vocalese version of “Four Brothers,” with lyrics by Jon Hendricks and note-for-note duplication of the original sax solos.[2][3]) [Early–mid 1950s (pre-Lambert, Hendricks & Ross formation)]
• Charlie Parker and the bebop tradition - Bebop harmony, phrasing, and rhythmic conception deeply shaped Dave Lambert’s arranging style and the trio’s scat-based, horn-like vocal lines; Lambert had earlier participated in the controversial “Charlie Parker with Voices” session. (Lambert’s earlier vocal-choir project on the Charlie Parker with Voices session; general bebop-derived arrangements throughout the LH&R catalog.[2]) [Early 1950s influence leading into the 1957 formation]

Key Collaborators

• Count Basie and the Count Basie Orchestra - Collaborated directly with the trio, backing them on arrangements that extended the concept of Sing a Song of Basie into a full band-plus-vocals setting. (Sing Along with Basie (1959) featuring Basie and his orchestra.[1][2][4]) [1959]
• Yolande Bavan - Replaced Annie Ross after her departure, turning the group into Lambert, Hendricks and Bavan and continuing the vocalese trio format in a live context. (Three live albums as Lambert, Hendricks and Bavan; appearances including the 1962 Newport Jazz Festival, captured in the film The 1962 Newport Jazz Festival.[4]) [1962–1964]
• Columbia Records production teams and rhythm sections - Instrumental trios and studio personnel who supported the group once they moved away from overdubbed choir effects to a live-rhythm-section format. (The Swingers! and subsequent Columbia albums, where the trio recorded with a straight rhythm trio instead of layered voices.[2][4]) [1959–early 1960s]
• Paul Meyers - Guitarist who accompanied Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross during later reunions, sometimes covering a third line when all vocal parts could not be sung live. (Late-1990s Hendricks–Ross duo performances in which Meyers supplied instrumental support and, functionally, a missing vocal part.[3]) [c. 1999]

Artists Influenced

• The Manhattan Transfer - Adopted and extended the vocalese tradition, often citing Lambert, Hendricks & Ross as predecessors and modeling group interplay and lyricized solos on their work. (Vocalese-oriented arrangements and albums by The Manhattan Transfer that draw on LH&R’s Basie- and bop-inspired models.[2][3][6]) [1970s–1980s and beyond]
• The Pointer Sisters - A 1970s–1980s vocal group whose jazz-influenced harmonies and group interplay were noted as part of the lineage shaped by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. (Jazz-inflected ensemble vocals on early Pointer Sisters recordings, referenced in discussions of LH&R’s influence on later vocal groups.[3]) [1970s–1980s]
• Joni Mitchell - Cited among individual vocalists whose phrasing, harmonic adventurousness, and interest in jazz idioms reflect the broader impact of LH&R’s vocalese innovations. (Mitchell’s jazz-oriented projects (e.g., collaborations with jazz musicians) are often linked to the environment reshaped by innovators like LH&R.[3]) [Late 1960s–1980s]
• Bette Midler - Named as one of the singers influenced by the group’s theatrical, witty, and musically sophisticated approach to vocal performance. (Stage and recording work that integrates jazz phrasing and comic narrative elements in a manner traced back to LH&R’s example.[3]) [1970s onward]
• Subsequent generations of jazz vocalists and vocalese practitioners - The trio’s catalog became a touchstone for singers wishing to treat the voice as both lyric bearer and improvising instrument, shaping educational and professional practice. (Ongoing performances and recordings of “Twisted,” “Moanin’,” “Comin’ Home,” and Basie/ Ellington-based vocalese arrangements.[2][3][7]) [1960s to present]

Discography

Albums

Top Tracks

1. Lil' Darlin' (The Atomic Mr Basie)
2. Moanin' (The Hottest New Group in Jazz)
3. Centerpiece (The Hottest New Group in Jazz)
4. Twisted (The Hottest New Group In Jazz)
5. Twisted (The Hottest New Group in Jazz)
6. Gimme That Wine (The Hottest New Group in Jazz)
7. Moanin' (Everybody's Boppin')
8. In A Mellow Tone - Vocal Version (The Hottest New Group In Jazz)
9. Cloudburst (Everybody's Boppin')
10. Moanin' (The Hottest New Group In Jazz)

External Links

• Spotify
• Wikipedia