JazzWax

Dave Lambert and Ted Williams

Following my posts on Dave Lambert's music ("Voice of Reason") and his daughter Dee's recollections ("My Dad, Dave Lambert"), reader Bill Reed kindly sent along the 1959 Down Beat article on Lambert, Hendricks & Ross by Gene Lees and Jon Hendricks that featured Ted Williams's [above, right] photographs...

Dave Lambert: Voice of Reason

If you want to truly understand the kind side of jazz—the side that reveres other artists, wants everyone to love the music and views improvisation as way to bring people together—you need to dig the music of Dave Lambert. Before World War II, Louis Armstrong was the chief bridge between jazz and everyday life, largely because he stood for happiness and togetherness as well as magnificent artistry. After the war, Lambert took on that role, becoming something of a Johnny Appleseed, using his vocal gifts and gentle soul to make jazz irresistible. Of course, Armstrong didn't stop being the voice and face of jazz after the war, but Lambert did represent a new optimism and a new generation—one more in tune with the mischief, whimsy and daring of bebop. [Photo above of Dave Lambert by William P. Gottlieb in 1947]

Most people know Lambert as a co-founder of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross—a vocalese group started in 1957 that charmed audiences with its sophisticated and upbeat sound. But by '57, Lambert had already made his mark in jazz, inspiring a new wave of hip singers that included Babs Gonzales, Eddie Jefferson, King Pleasure, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross, to name a handful. Vocally, Lambert was the first to do for bebop what Armstrong had done for swing, with a style of scatting that was cool, confident and deft. He also was a crafty writer of songs—in many cases the words and music. And yet he never had to blow his horn. Lambert was gentle and naturally cool and with-it. [Photo above of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross by Ted Williams/CTSImages.com]

Lambert was born in Boston in 1917 and began singing with Johnny Long's Orchestra in the early 1940s. He  joined Gene Krupa's Orchestra in 1944 as a member of the G-Noters, which featured Lambert, Lillian Lane, Buddy Stewart and Jerry Duane. His first hit with Krupa was What's This? with Buddy Stewart, recorded in January 1945. Their scatting captured the essence of early bop, thanks to their close association with Charlie Parker, Dizzy Gillespie and other burgeoning boppers on New York's 52nd St.

In 1946, Lambert recorded with Buddy Stewart backed by Red Rodney's Beboppers, arranged by Neal Hefti. In the late 1940s, Lambert was so skilled that he often performed and recorded with top boppers like Benny Green, Al Haig, Allen Eager and Kai Winding. He also appeared regularly with Charlie Parker. Their appearances together were captured in 1949 when a WMCA broadcast from New York's Royal Roost was recorded. Lambert and Stewart along with Trudy Richards were the voices on Charlie Barnet's novelty number, Be-bop Spoken Here, and Lambert arranged (for better or worse), the Dave Lambert Singers behind Charlie Parker on the ill-conceived "Charlie Parker and Voices" session in May 1953. Lambert and his singing group also backed King Pleasure in September of that year. [Photo above of the Pastels, a short-lived vocal group Lambert put together for Stan Kenton; from left, Dave Lambert, Jerry Duane, Wayne Howard, Jerry Packer and Margaret Dale by William P. Gottlieb in January 1947]

Lambert, Hendricks & Ross recorded about a dozen albums, and Sing a Song of Basie, produced by Creed Taylor for ABC-Paramount, was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 1998. When Ross dropped out of the group in 1962, Lambert and Hendricks added Yolande Bavan and recorded several albums.

The trio split up in 1964, and Lambert assembled a new group of singers, Dave Lambert & Co., who were captured at RCA's 24th St. studio with George Avakian by a young D.A. Pennebaker for a 15-minute film called Audition at RCA. A half dozen songs were recorded, but the project was never green-lighted by the label.

Lambert died tragically on a night in October 1966 at age 49, when he was hit on the Connecticut Turnpike after stepping into the roadway while trying to repair a car. [Photo above of Dave Lambert by William P. Gottlieb in 1947]

A few weeks ago, I asked Dee Lambert, Dave's daughter, to provide me with a list of songs that her dad had recorded or written. Dee is as kind as her dad and sent along a listing. [Photo above of Dan Morgenstern, Dee Lambert and Johnny Mandel in 2008]. I added a few audio/video clips as well:

Here's Lambert and Krupa's G-Noters singing I Should Care in January 1945...

 

Here's Lambert and Stewart singing Lambert's What's This? with Krupa, also in January 1945...

 

Here's Lambert and Stewart with Red Rodney's Beboppers in 1946 singing Lambert's Gussie G and featuring Rodney (tp), Al Haig (p), Curly Russell (b) and Stan Levey (d), with the arrangement by Neal Hefti...

 

Here's Lambert's Charge Account, which was built on the All the Things You Are chord changes, featuring the same group...

 

Here's Lambert and the Pastels with Stan Kenton singing After You in February 1947...

 

Here's Lambert's Bopelbaby and Bopelground recorded in late 1948 with ensembles led by Al Haig...

 

Here are the Dave Lambert Singers in January 1949 singing Hawaiian War Chant and Always, with Al Haig (p), Curly Russell (b), Max Roach (d), Diego Ibarra (bgo) and Vidal Bolado (cga)...

 

Here's Lambert and Stewart with Charlie Parker at the Royal Roost in February 1949 singing Deedle (also known as Static)...

 

Here are the Dave Lambert Singers with Jo Stafford in April 1949 at the height of bebop's craze, showing off Stafford's flawless bop chops...

 

Here's Lambert, Stewart and Richards with Charlie Barnet singing Be-bop Spoken Here in April 1949...

 

Here are the Dave Lambert Singers with Charlie Parker in 1953 on In the Still of the Night...

 

Here's the Dave Lambert Singers backing King Pleasure in 1953 on Sometimes I'm Happy...

 

Here's Lambert, Hendricks & Ross singing Everyday I Have the Blues from Sing a Song of Basie...

 

Here's a video of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross singing Everyday I Have the Blues in 1959 with Joe Williams, who made the song famous with Count Basie. I warn you, this is one of the most exceptional recordings of this group and highly addictive...

 

In 1960, if you wanted to sing along with Lambert and Hendricks, you could! Go here (it's also available at eBay).

Here's Lambert Hendricks & Ross in 1959 singing Lambert's Halloween Spooks from The Hottest New Group in Jazz, featuring brilliant scary scat...

 

Here's Lambert, Hendricks & Bavan at Basin Street East in 1962 singing Shiny Stockings (with Bavan's terrific high notes)...

 

And here's D.A. Pennebaker's Audition at RCA, filmed in 1964 and perhaps the finest Dave Lambert document...

A rare one for the road: Here are the Dave Lambert Singers singing Jimmy Giuffre's Four Brothers. It was recorded in New York in 1955 for the obscure Avalon label. It features Lambert, Jon Hendricks, Butch Birdsall and Harry Clark on vocals accompanied by the Teacho Wiltshire Trio...

Four Brothers

Interviews... You can access my JazzWax interviews with Jon Hendricks here, Yolande Bavan here and Creed Taylor on Lambert, Hendricks & Ross here. Also, here's Hal McKusick on the Charlie Parker wtih Voices session for Norman Granz. And if you dig Audition at RCA, I tracked down Mary Vonnie. You can read her remarks here and George Avakian's here.

A special thanks to Dee Lambert, Bret Primack, David Dann, host of the blog Gems of Jazz and Fred Augerman.

Videos: Peggy Lee

Last night, while doing some research on YouTube, I got hung up on Peggy Lee. First I started studying how the left corner of her mouth drops slightly when she sings. Then I watched her eyes, which always seem like they're soaring back and forth on a swing. At any rate, let me share with you five clips I found many pages back in her YouTube category...

Here's Peggy Lee and Judy Garland...

 

Here's Lee in 1954 at the Hollywood Bowl...

 

Here's Lee singing Fly Me to the Moon...

 

Here's Lee in 1959 singing Jump for Joy...

 

And here's Lee in 1954...

 

Elliot Lawrence: Jazz Goes B'way

If New York's jazz studio scene had a high point, it's probably 1956 and '57, just as the 12-inch LP became popular and just before stereo intruded with its odd sonics. During those two years, labels set high LP production quotas and producers were dispatched to line up numerous recording dates. With the pressure on, many producers took chances on artists who might not have been heard otherwise and concepts that hadn't been tried previously. They also began using Broadway songs as a way to build inventory. [Pictured above: Elliot Lawrence, courtesy of Don Hunstein]

One of the earliest examples was Elliot Lawrence's Jazz Goes Broadway (Vik), which had a distinctly East Coast sound. The difference between the East Coast and West Coast studio sound rested in its main influences. On the West Coast, arrangements and playing tended to be splashier and more swayed by television, fast cars and the movies. On the East Coast, the playing was jazzier and the arrangements tended to be bluesy, instrumentally denser and less commercial sounding.

Recorded over two sessions in May 1957, Jazz Goes Broadway featured two different sets of first-call studio musicians. The first session included Art Farmer (trumpet), Jimmy Cleveland (trombone), Gene Quill (alto sax), Zoot Sims (tenor sax), Al Cohn (baritone sax), Elliot Lawrence (piano), Chubby Jackson (bass) and Don Lamond drums. The second group featured Nick Travis (trumpet), Urbie Green (trombone), Hal McKusick (clarinet) and Sims, Cohn, Lawrence, Jackson and Lamond [above]. The arrangements were by Cohn, Lawrence and Manny Albam.

What sets this small-group album apart for me are the standout artists. You get to hear the gorgeous drumming of Lamond, a terrific player who is on sticks and brushes here. You also get to hear Al Cohn on baritone sax and Hal McKusick is on clarinet, which gives you a feel for how accomplished they were on those instruments. And you realize that Lawrence was quite a good piano player in the Claude Thornhill manner of playing. [Pictured above, Hal McKusick on clarinet]

What's more, each song showcases a different artist. There are solos by Elliot Lawrence (On the Street Where You Live) Urbie Green (Joey, Joey), Gene Quill (Mack the Knife), Hal McKusick (Look At 'er), Nick Travis (Standing on the Corner), Jimmy Cleveland (Jubilation T. Cornpone), Al Cohn (Just in Time), Art Farmer (Big D) and Zoot Sims (I've Grown Accustomed to Her Face). [Pictured above, Art Farmer]

The album was produced by Bob Rolontz, who was a Billboard reporter in 1951 and wrote the magazine's R&B column before joining RCA in 1955, where he produced jazz and R&B records, including Mickey & Sylvia's 1957 hit Love Is Strange. He later worked in the public relations departments of Atlantic and Warner. Rolontz died in 2000 at age 79.

On Jazz Goes Broadway, we hear the artful use of show tunes without sacrificing jazz or swing.

JazzWax tracks. You'll find Jazz Goes Broadway from independent sellers here. Warning: There is no mp3 offering for the album. The link takes you to a different release.

JazzWax clips: Here are two tracks from the album...

Just in Time

Look at 'er