ON THIS DAY – JON HENDRICKS & CO.
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 AT 21:00
On this day in 1921, American lyricist and singer Jon Hendricks (1921-2017) was born in Newark, Ohio. One of the pioneers of "vocalese" – putting lyrics to familiar jazz instrumentals and transforming them into vocal tours de force – Hendricks became famous in the 1950s with his vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. His career featured successful collaborations and performances with a diverse range of musicians including Count Basie, Dave Brubeck, Thelonious Monk, Art Blakey, Wynton Marsalis, Georgie Fame, Lulu, and Jazzmeia Horn. Stingray DJAZZ pays special tribute to the famed bebop singer by broadcasting a 1986 performance from Estival Jazz Lugano. He appeared as Jon Hendricks and Co., sharing the stage with vocalists Kim Lindsay, Mart Ledford, and his wife Judith Hendricks, as well as pianist Cyrus Chestnut, bassist Larry Gales, and drummer Al Levitt, for a performance as professional as it was spontaneous.
Jon Hendricks & Co.: Estival 1986
MONDAY, SEPTEMBER 16 AT 21:00
Since 1977, Estival is a summer jazz festival in Switzerland, Lugano. Estival offers a thrilling and particularly surprising line-up that explores the rich world of contemporary music whilst promoting the understanding of different cultures, tolerance, and co-existence. John Carl Hendricks is one of the instigators of "vocalese", an art form that aims to add lyrics to existing instrumental pieces and replace several instruments with singing. He flaunts this technique at Estival, where he "scat" while playing double bass. Hendricks is known for his mastery of scat, a form of vocal jazz that uses onomatopoeia rather than lyrics.
