They had first met in 1955 to work on a vocalese rendition of Jimmy Giuffre's "Four Brothers," with lyrics penned by Hendricks and note-for-note duplications of the original solos on that song by Woody Herman's sax section soloists Herbie Steward, Zoot Sims, Stan Getz and Serge Chaloff arranged by Lambert. Originally formed in 1957, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross debuted their unique vocalese style late that year on Sing a Song of Basie. Hendricks takes it up a notch on his scorching vocalese solo on a blazing rendition of "Cloudburst" and they close out their scintillating set with a soulful version of another Basie staple, "Every Day I Have the Blues," with Hendricks emulating the deep blue vocal stylings of Basie singer Joe Williams. Hendricks takes center stage on a rendition of his humorous, jivey "Gimme That Wine" before the three swing their way through a blazing rendition of Ellington's "Cotton Tail" with Hendricks doing his perfect note-for-note vocalese rendition of Ben Webster's famous tenor sax solo from the hit 1940 recording. As a tribute to Jimmy Rushing, the three turn in a spectacular "Rusty Dusty Blues" with Hendricks channeling the former Count Basie singer. Next up is Hendricks, who summons up the spirit of Pettiford's exquisitely swinging bass lines in his scat solo before going on to imitate a succession of famous bassists from Percy Heath to Paul Chambers to Ray Brown, culminating in hilarious take on the audacious Charles Mingus. Oscar Pettiford's "Swingin' 'Til the Girls Come Home" is a raucous swinger that also appeared on 1959's The Swingers! Lambert solos first, showcasing his superb scatting prowess in the lower register. Ross also turns in a note-for-note vocalese reading of Buck Clayton's trumpet solo on this earthy number (which appeared on their 1957 debut, Sing a Song of Basie. Jimmy Mundy's "Fiesta in Blue" from the Count Basie book is a mellow number that features Ross's seductive vocal delivery upfront with Hendricks and Lambert supporting her with horn-like choruses. Lambert follows with an incredibly nimble scat solo of his own before the two vocalese masters go toe-to-toe with some fiery scatting exchanges near the end of the piece.
Hendricks turns in a show-stopping extended scat solo on this frantic burner.
They tackle Sonny Rollins' "Airegin" (a tune they had recorded on 1959's The Swingers!) with ferociously swinging intensity. They have their way with Duke Ellington's "Happy Anatomy," a lively ditty from Duke's score for the 1959 Otto Preminger film Anatomy of a Murder. Next up they settle into a soulful groove with a clever vocalese rendition of Horace Silver's "Doodlin'," a fine showcase for Ross' remarkable range and flexibility. Hendricks follows by fitting hip lyrics into a note-for-note reading of Lester Young's famous tenor sax solo to this signature song. The three come out of the gate swinging ferociously on an uptempo rendition of the 1938 Count Basie hit, "Jumpin' at the Woodside." Ross solos first, emulating Buck Clayton's high-note plunger trumpet solo. And they slayed the crowd at Freebody Park with their good-humored virtuosity. Their appearance at the 1960 Newport Jazz Festival, backed by the Ike Isaacs Trio, was a greatly-anticipated followup to their triumphant debut at Newport the previous year with the Count Basie Orchestra. Their pioneering use of vocalese (a method of setting lyrics to familiar jazz instrumentals and iconic jazz solos) influenced several vocal groups that followed in their wake, including the Manhattan Transfer, the New York Voices and Take Six.
With their impeccable articulation at breakneck tempos, impossibly tight execution on challenging unison lines, sublime blend and remarkably creative way of slinging intricate verbiage while swinging emphatically, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross was the premier vocal ensemble of the late '50s and early '60s and perhaps of all time.
Dave Lambert - vocals, arranger Jon Hendricks - vocals, arranger, lyricist Annie Ross - vocals, arranger With the Ike Issacs Trio: Gildo Mahones - piano Jimmy Wormworth - drums Ike Isaacs - bass