If any man could be defined as the epitome of the modern jazz singer, it would surely be Jon Hendricks. His contributions to jazz were colossal: a hipster, a bopster, a comic and raconteur, a word-smith par excellence, and a fearless improviser, he took the arts of scatting and vocalese to new heights. As a founder member of the groundbreaking vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, he changed forever the public perception of what a jazz singer could be.
Jon Hendricks started singing professionally at the age of seven. Within five years he was supporting his entire family - including three sisters, eleven brothers and a niece - with his earnings from radio appearances. He was active in jazz long before the birth of bebop, and didn't stop until he was in his nineties. Tutored by the pioneering pianist Art Tatum, Hendricks performed with everyone of any consequence in jazz, from Louis Armstrong to Jazzmeia Horn. Before Lambert, Hendricks and Ross astonished the world with their first album Sing A Song Of Basie, he was writing songs for Louis Jordan. Later he influenced and worked with The Manhattan Transfer, Bobby McFerrin and Kurt Elling. When he died in 2017, he left behind a final masterwork - his vocal adaptation of the Miles Davis album Miles Ahead.
This is Bop is the first biography of Jon Hendricks. Based on extensive research in both the USA and the UK, it draws on the author's interviews with the Hendricks family and the many singers, musicians and industry figures who worked closely with him. As well as telling the story of his remarkable life, it also explores his legacy as a lyricist and a scat singer, his contribution to the art of vocalese, and his extraordinary gifts as a thinker and raconteur.
