Jon Hendricks

This article is about the jazz musician. For other people with similar names, seeJohn Hendricks (disambiguation).

Jon Hendricks
Hendricks in 2008
Background information
Birth name	John Carl Hendricks
Born	(1921-09-16)September 16, 1921 Newark, Ohio,U.S.
Died	November 22, 2017(2017-11-22)(aged 96) New York City, U.S.
Genres	Jazz
Occupation(s)	Singer, lyricist
Years active	1957–2017
Formerly of	Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
Spouses	Colleen Moore ​ (divorced)​ Judith Hendricks ​ (death 2015)​
Children	4

John Carl Hendricks(September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally asJon Hendricks,was an Americanjazzlyricist and singer. He is one of the originators ofvocalese,which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists, such as the big-band arrangements ofDuke EllingtonandCount Basie.He is considered one of the best practitioners ofscat singing,which involves vocal jazz soloing. Jazz critic and historianLeonard Feathercalled him the "Poet Laureate of Jazz", whileTimedubbed him the "James Joyceof Jive ".Al Jarreaucalled him "pound-for-pound the best jazz singer on the planet—maybe that's ever been".

Early years

Born in 1921 inNewark, Ohio,Hendricks and his 14 siblings moved many times, following their father's assignments as anAMEpastor, before settling permanently inToledo.The house was often full of visiting jazz musicians, for whom Jon's mother provided meals.

Hendricks began his singing career at the age of seven. He has said: "By the time I was 10, I was a local celebrity in Toledo. I had offers to go withFats Wallerwhen I was 12, and offers to go withTed Lewisand be his shadow when I was 13. He had that song 'Me and My Shadow'. And he had this little Negro boy who was his shadow, that did everything he did. That was his act. "The Tatum family lived on the same street as the Hendrickses. Jon Hendricks received his early musical training from piano prodigyArt Tatum,and the two of them began appearing together around town.

As a teenager, Jon made good money from singing on the radio with a harmony group, The Swing Buddies. This earned him enough money to support his entire family. He continued performing around Toledo and Detroit until he was drafted into the US Army.

World War II

As a soldier duringWorld War II,Hendricks took part in theD-Day landingsof June, 1944, and was later attached to the quartermaster's headquarters in France. When he and some black fellow soldiers were shot at by white US military police for consorting with white French women, they went on the run with truckloads of army supplies, remaining at large until eventually recaptured and court-martialled in November 1945. By then the war was over, and Hendricks served only 11 months in the stockade before returning home to attendUniversity of Toledoon theG.I. Billas a pre-law major.Just when he was about to enter the graduate law program, the G.I. benefits ran out. Jon met his first wife Colleen "Connie" Moore in Toledo. They were married and eventually had 4 children.One night in 1950, Hendricks got up and scatted at aCharlie Parkergig in Toledo. Parker encouraged him to come to New York and look him up. Hendricks moved his family there two years later and resumed his singing career.

Lambert, Hendricks and Ross

Hendricks at theKeystone Kornerin San Francisco, 1983

After several years during which he wrote several songs forLouis Jordanand recorded withKing Pleasure,he teamed up withDave Lambert,who conceived the idea to record a selection ofCount Basie's instrumental numbers with voices replacing the Basie orchestra's wind instruments. Jon wrote the lyrics, and they sold the idea toCreed Taylor,who had recently started working as anA&Rman for ABC-Paramount Ampar. After a disastrous initial attempt to record the songs with a choir, they decided tomulti-tracktheir own voices, withAnnie Rossproviding the high notes. It was not the first time the technique of overdubbing had been used, but it was an early and innovative example. The result was a best-selling album,Sing a Song of Basie.Its success prompted them to form the legendary vocal trioLambert, Hendricks & Ross(LH&R). With Hendricks as lyricist and Lambert as arranger, the trio perfected the art ofvocaleseand took it around the world, earning them numerous awards and accolades. In September 1959, they appeared on the cover ofDown Beatunder the headline "The Hottest New Group in Jazz",which they adopted as the title of theirGrammy-nominated fourth album.

Hendricks typically wrote lyrics not just to melodies but to entire instrumental solos, a notable example being his take onBen Webster's tenor saxophone solo onDuke Ellington's original recording of "Cotton Tail",as featured on the albumLambert, Hendricks and Ross Sing Ellington(1960). His lyrics toBenny Golson's "I Remember Clifford"have been recorded by several other vocalists, includingDinah Washington,Carmen McRae,Nancy Wilson,Ray Charles,The Manhattan TransferandHelen Merrill.

From 1957 through 1962, the trio recorded six albums, includingHigh Flying(1961), which won a Grammy for Best Performance by a Vocal Group, before Annie Ross departed due to health problems. She was replaced byYolande Bavan,and the group was billed as Lambert, Hendricks and Bavan for the three live albums they recorded, 1962–64.

Countless singers cite the work of LH&R as an influence, includingJoni Mitchell,Van Morrison,Al Jarreau andBobby McFerrin.The song "Yeh Yeh",for which Hendricks composed the lyrics, became a no.1 hit in 1965 for British R&B-jazz singerGeorgie Fame,who continues to record and perform Lambert, Hendricks & Ross compositions to this day. In 1966 Hendricks recorded "Fire in the City" with the Warlocks, who shortly after changed their name to theGrateful Dead.Hendricks wrote lyrics for severalThelonious Monksongs, including "In Walked Bud",which he performed on Monk's 1968 albumUnderground.

For a performance at the 1960Monterey Jazz Festival,he created and starred in a musical he calledEvolution of the Blues Song(later shortened toEvolution of the Blues), which featured such acclaimed singers asJimmy Witherspoon,Hannah Dean, and"Big" Miller,as well as saxophonistsBen WebsterandPony Poindexter.The ensemble played not only Hendricks' words and music but alsoPercy Mayfield's classic "Please Send Me Someone to Love",the driving D. Love gospel song" That's Enough ", and the blues evergreen,"C.C. Rider".In 1961, Columbia Records released an LP of the production and Hendricks later presented the show at the On Broadway Theater in San Francisco, where it ran for five years, and at the Westwood Playhouse in Los Angeles, where it was produced by attorneys Burton Marks and Mark Green.

Solo

Jon Hendricks at Birdland

Hendricks recorded two albums in 1961 –Salud! João Gilberto(Reprise) andFast Livin' Blues(Columbia). Having divorced Colleen and married Judith Dickstein, Hendricks moved toMill Valley,California, reuniting with his children, who had been farmed out to relatives since the divorce. There he recordedRecorded in Person at the Trident(Smash). Later that year he was invited by Duke Ellington to take part in the latter'sConcert of Sacred Musicat San Francisco'sGrace Cathedral.In 1968, he moved the family again, this time to London, England, partly so that his four children could receive a better education, and partly to distance them from the pervasive Californian drug culture.Using London as his base, he toured Europe and Africa, performed frequently on British radio and television with such stars of the day asLuluandDusty Springfield,as well asRonnie Scottand the comedianMarty Feldman.His sold-out club dates atRonnie Scott'sdrew fans such as theRolling Stonesand theBeatles.Hendricks also recorded two albums in London –Jon Hendricks Live(Fontana) andTimes of Love(Philips), which was released in the US asSeptember Songs(Stanyan, 1975). After five years, the Hendricks family returned to Mill Valley, where Hendricks worked as the jazz critic for theSan Francisco Chronicleand taught classes atCalifornia State UniversityatSonomaand theUniversity of CaliforniaatBerkeley.In 1973 he recorded two songs withArt Blakey and the Jazz Messengers–Bobby Timmons's "Moanin'"andBenny Golson's "Along Came Betty" which appeared on Blakey'sBuhainaalbum.

His albumTell Me the Truth(Arista, 1975) was produced byBen Sidran.Love(Muse, 1982) by Jon Hendricks & Company came next, and featured his daughter Michele. He collaborated with old friendsThe Manhattan Transferfor their seminal 1985 album,Vocalese,which won sevenGrammyAwards. He served on theKennedy CenterHonors committee under presidentsCarter,Reagan,andClinton.His final studio album, theGrammy-nominatedFreddie Freeloader,was released in 1990, and featured an all-star line-up that includedGeorge Benson,Al Jarreau, Bobby McFerrin,Tommy Flanagan,Jimmy Cobb,Larry Goldings,Wynton Marsalis,Stanley Turrentine,Al Grey,The Manhattan Transfer and the Count Basie Orchestra.

In 2000 Hendricks returned to his home town to teach at theUniversity of Toledo,where he was appointed Distinguished Professor of Jazz Studies and received an honorary Doctorate of the Performing Arts. He was selected to be the first American jazz artist to lecture at theSorbonnein Paris. His 15-voice group, the Jon Hendricks Vocalstra at the University of Toledo, performed at the Sorbonne in 2002. Hendricks also wrote lyrics to some classical pieces including "On the Trail" fromFerde Grofe'sGrand Canyon Suite.The Vocalstra premiered a vocalese version ofRimsky-Korsakov's "Scheherazade"with theToledo Symphony.

In the summer of 2003 Hendricks went on tour with the "Four Brothers", a quartet consisting of Hendricks,Kurt Elling,Mark MurphyandKevin Mahogany.He worked on setting words to and arrangingRachmaninoff's second piano concertoas well as on two books, teaching and touring with his Vocalstra. He wrote lyrics toGershwin's Piano Prelude No. 1for the a cappella ensemble Pieces of 8's 2004 albumAcross the Blue Meridian.He appeared in cameo roles in the filmsPeople I Know(2002) andWhite Men Can't Jump(1992).

In 2012, Hendricks appeared in the documentary filmNo One But Me,discussing his former bandmate and friend,Annie Ross.In 2015, Hendricks lost his second wife Judith to a brain tumor.

Hendricks also appeared on three tracks from the 2016 release of theJC HopkinsBiggish Band titled "Meet Me at Minton's". He performs vocalese on "Suddenly (In Walked Bud)", is included in the ensemble on the album's title track "Meet Me at Minton's", and croons a duet of the Monk tune "How I Wish (Ask Me Now)" with singer and 2016 Thelonious Monk Competition winnerJazzmeia Horn.At the time of the recording he was 93 and Horn was 23.

In 2017, Hendricks' full lyricization of the albumMiles Ahead,includingMiles Davis' solos andGil Evans' orchestrations, was completed fifty years after he had first conceived the idea. It was premiered in New York by UK-based choir the London Vocal Project, with Hendricks in attendance, with a studio recording to follow.

Death

Hendricks died on November 22, 2017, in Manhattan, New York City, aged 96.

Awards and honors

Hendricks was recognized with anNEA Jazz Masteraward in 1993,multipleGrammy Awards,and in 2004, he was honored in France with theLegion of Honour.

Discography

As leader

• A Good Git-Together(World Pacific, 1959)
• Evolution of the Blues Song(Columbia, 1960)
• Live Recording at Birdlandwith Count Basie (Roulette, 1961)
• Fast Livin' Blues(Columbia, 1962)
• ¡Salud! João Gilberto, Originator of the Bossa Nova(Reprise, 1963)
• Recorded in Person at the Trident(Smash, 1965)
• Jon Hendricks Live(Fontana, 1970)
• Times of Love(Philips, 1972)
• Tell Me the Truth(Arista, 1975)
• Cloudburst(Enja, 1982)
• Love(Muse, 1982)
• Freddie Freeloader(Denon,1990)
• Boppin' at the Blue Note(Telarc, 1995)

WithLambert, Hendricks and Ross

• Sing a Song of Basie(ABC-Paramount, 1958)
• Sing Along with Basie(Roulette, 1958)
• The Swingers!(World Pacific, 1959)
• The Hottest New Group in Jazz(Columbia, 1959)
• Sing Ellington(Columbia, 1960)
• High Flying(Columbia, 1961)
• The Real Ambassadors(Columbia Masterworks, 1962)
• Basie Live in Person(Natural Organic, 1979)
• Everybody's Boppin(Columbia, 1989)

With Lambert, Hendricks and Bavan

• At Newport '63(RCA Victor, 1963)
• Recorded Live at Basin Street East(RCA Victor, 1963)
• Havin' a Ball at the Village Gate(RCA Victor, 1964)
• Swingin' Till the Girls Come Home(Bluebird, 1987)

As guest

• 3 Cohens,Family(Anzic,2011)
• Karrin Allyson,Footprints(Concord Jazz, 2006)
• Art Blakey,Buhaina(Prestige, 1973)
• Terence Blanchard,People I Know(Decca, 2003)
• Dave Brubeck,Young Lions & Old Tigers(Telarc, 1995)
• Benny Carter,Benny Carter Songbook(Musicmasters, 1997)
• Benny Carter,Benny Carter Songbook Volume II(MusicMasters, 1997)
• Neil Diamond,In My Lifetime(Columbia, 1996)
• Kurt Elling,Live in Chicago(Blue Note, 1999)
• Georgie Fame,Cool Cat Blues(Go Jazz, 1991)
• Al Grey,Al Grey Fab(Capri, 1990)
• Joyce,Language and Love(Verve, 1991)
• King Pleasure,King Pleasure Sings(Prestige, 1954)
• The Manhattan Transfer,Mecca for Moderns(Atlantic, 1981)
• The Manhattan Transfer,Vocalese(Atlantic, 1985)
• Ellis Marsalis Jr.,Ellis Marsalis Trio(Blue Note, 1991)
• Wynton Marsalis,Crescent City Christmas Card(Columbia, 1989)
• Wynton Marsalis,Blood on the Fields(Columbia, 1997)
• Bobby McFerrin,Spontaneous Inventions(Blue Note, 1986)
• Thelonious Monk,Underground(Columbia, 1968)
• Jimmy RowlesandStan Getz,The Peacocks(Columbia, 1975)
• George Russell,New York, N.Y.(Decca, 1959)
• Janis Siegel,Experiment in White(Atlantic, 1982)
• Take 6,The Standard(Heads Up, 2008)
• Larry Vuckovich,Cast Your Fate(Palo Alto, 1984)
• Connie Evingson,All the Cats Join In(Minnehaha Music, 2014)
• Royal Bopsters –The Royal Bopsters Project(Motema, 2015)

Filmography

• Music in Monk Time,a documentary tribute toThelonious Monk,Hendricks served as co-writer, performer and narrator (1983, production by Songfilms International, Inc.)
• The Steve Allen Plymouth ShowEpisode #4.11 (1958): Lambert, Hendricks & Ross
• NET PlayhouseDuke Ellington – A Concert of Sacred Music (1967): Jon Hendricks
• Jazz Is Our Religion(1972)
• White Men Can't Jump(1992): one of the Venice Beach Boys
• Foreign Student(1994): April's Father
• Jon Hendricks, Tell Me The Truth,a documentary about the artist, directed by Audrey Lasbleiz (2008, production Mosaïque Films, Paris).
• Blues March: Soldier Jon Hendricks,a documentary about the artist fighting on two fronts in World War II by Malte Rauchof ( Strandfilm Productions (2009)

External links

• Jon HendricksatAllMusic
• Jon Hendricksdiscography atDiscogs
• Jon HendricksatIMDb
• On Stage at the Kennedy Center: The Mark Twain Prize 2002 – Behind the Curtain – Jon HendricksfromPBS