Eddie Jefferson (August 3, 1918 – May 9, 1979) was a jazz vocalist and lyricist. He is credited as an innovator of vocalese, in which he took the recorded solos of jazz horn players, wrote lyrics to them and sang them as tributes to their creators.
He was born Edward
Jefferson in Pittsburgh. He played the
tuba, guitar and drums but he made his show-business debut as a tap dancer at
the 1933 Chicago World’s Fair. During the 30s in Pittsburgh he performed as a
dancer and scat singer doing occasional Cab Calloway impressions with Art
Blakey on piano. It was his friend Leo
‘Scat’ Watson - a big influence - who suggested the idea of adding words to
instrumental solos.
In 1939 he
worked opposite Coleman Hawkins’ big band in Chicago after the great man’s
return from Europe and Nat King Cole was the intermission pianist. During WW2
he played drums in the army band but little is known of his musical activities
during the 40s although he did tour with Bob Crosby and the Bobcats and he
appeared on the Sarah Vaughan radio show in 1950. It was not until 1952 that he
really concentrated on singing.
It was his lyric
for King Pleasure’s big hit Moody’s Mood For Love in 1952 which really put him
on the map. James Moody had recorded the solo in 1949 in Sweden using a
borrowed alto from Lars Gullin. He
turned in a gem of a performance in one take although it was his first
recording on the instrument. Eddie loved the solo because in a little less than
three minutes “It told a story”.
Living in
Cambria Heights in Queens he took a day job as a manager in a men’s clothing
firm supplemented with occasional club dates.
One night in 1953 when he was doing a dance act with Irv Taylor at
Harlem’s Apollo Theatre he met James Moody. Babs Gonzales had been travelling
with Moody as vocalist and band manager but he was leaving so the tenor-man
offered the job to Jefferson. They stayed together until 1962 when Moody
disbanded to join Dizzy Gillespie. In 1957 when they appeared at the Zebra
Lounge in Los Angeles they worked there for a time with King Pleasure. The
following year Jefferson sat in with Miles Davis at the Café Bohemia in New
York.
In 1959 he
recorded his celebrated Body And Soul with a lyric set to Coleman Hawkins’ 1939
masterpiece and the words make it clear just what Hawkins meant to him. During
the 60s he and Moody often performed with Dinah Washington because they were
all represented by the Billy Shaw Agency in New York. During his
time with Moody the singer was featured on several albums highlighting fine examples of his unique sound with its soulful and very earthy delivery.
time with Moody the singer was featured on several albums highlighting fine examples of his unique sound with its soulful and very earthy delivery.
Soon after James
Moody went back to working with Dizzy In 1962 Eddie recorded with Johnny
Griffin for Riverside but the 60s and the 70s were a difficult time for him and
for jazz too. Moody’s decision to reform his group was celebrated with their
well received 1968 Body And Soul album on which Eddie featured some new
material .
In August 1970
he appeared at Chicago’s North Park Hotel at a Charlie Parker Memorial concert
where he performed Now’s The Time and Parker’s Mood. A little later James Moody moved out to Las
Vegas to work with the Hilton Hotel Orchestra and Eddie carried on working
locally supplementing his income by driving a New York cab.
In 1973 he and his wife Yvonne separated because of long-standing money problems although they remained on good terms. Around this time he joined forces with Billy Mitchell. One summer they taught a jazz course at Bennington College in Vermont and in 1974 they made their only album together with the optimistic title Things Are Getting Better.
In 1973 he and his wife Yvonne separated because of long-standing money problems although they remained on good terms. Around this time he joined forces with Billy Mitchell. One summer they taught a jazz course at Bennington College in Vermont and in 1974 they made their only album together with the optimistic title Things Are Getting Better.
A little late in
the day he won the 1975 Downbeat Critics’ Poll as Talent Deserving Of Wider
Recognition. That was also the year he sat in at a Greenwich Village club with
the sensational, young bebop alto player Richie Cole. They were to have a long
and productive relationship until Jefferson’s murder.
In March 1979 he
appeared with Sarah Vaughan and Betty Carter at New York’s Carnegie Hall and
with bookings lined up at the Monterey and Newport Jazz Festivals as well as
some European summer concerts. He was filmed along with Cole performing at
Chicago’s Jazz Showcase on 6 May. Three days later the group was booked into
Baker’s Keyboard Lounge in Detroit and Eddie was shot and killed as he left the
club around 1 a.m.
The suspect who was known to him was arrested but later released. “The tragic part is that he was cut down when things were starting to happen for him” Bill Mitchell said at the time. Ironically Jefferson had been presented with the key to the city the previous year by Coleman Young, Detroit’s first African-American mayor. (Compiled and edited from various sources mainly Jazz profiles.)
The suspect who was known to him was arrested but later released. “The tragic part is that he was cut down when things were starting to happen for him” Bill Mitchell said at the time. Ironically Jefferson had been presented with the key to the city the previous year by Coleman Young, Detroit’s first African-American mayor. (Compiled and edited from various sources mainly Jazz profiles.)
7 comments:
For “Eddie Jefferson - The Jazz Singer” go here:
https://www.upload.ee/files/10310210/Eddie_Jefferson_-_The_Jazz_Singer.rar.html
1. So What
2. Moody's Mood For Love
3. Sister Sadie
4. Lester's Trip To The Moon (Paper Moon)
5. T.D.'s Boogie Woogie
6. Now's The Time
7. Body & Soul
8. Workshop
9. Sherry
10. Baby Girl (These Foolish Things)
11. Memphis
12. Honeysuckle Rose
13. A Crazy Romance (The Preacher)
14. Night Train
15. N J R (I’m Gone)
16. I've Got The Blues (Lester Leaps In)
Selections 6, 7 and 9 recorded January 19, 1959.
Selections 4, 5, 8, 10, 11 and 12 recorded February 5, 1959.
Selections 2, 15 and 16 recorded March 2, 1960.
Selections 1, 3, 13 and 14 recorded January 15, 1961.
All sessions recorded in New York City.
Eddie Jefferson, one of the great jazz singers and an important pioneer of vocalese, is heard in peak form on this Inner City LP and adds four previously unissued selections to the program. The bulk of the music is from 1959-1961, with Jefferson backed by several horns including trumpeter Howard McGhee and tenor saxophonist James Moody, and sometimes three other vocalists. There are many highlights including Jefferson's original classic versions of "Body and Soul" (a tribute to Coleman Hawkins, the "king of the saxophone") and "So What" (dedicated to Miles Davis), a remake of "Moody's Mood for Love" and vocalese adaptations of a few Lester Young and Charlie Parker solos. This CD is highly recommended for all jazz collections. ~Scott Yanow
A big thank you to Mat.tiggas @ Siky Denims blog for original post.
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Also found “Eddie Jefferson - Still on the Planet (1976)”
https://dfiles.eu/files/4keejxeel
1. I Got the Blues (Lester Young, Eddie Jefferson) – 5:33
2. Workshop (Blues for a Debutante) (Jefferson) – 2:57
3. Sherry (Hank Crawford, Jefferson) – 3:20
4. Ornithology (Charlie Parker, Benny Harris, Jefferson) – 8:17
5. Keep Walkin (Celia Ferguson, Jefferson) – 5:38
6. Zap! Carnivorous (Mickey Tucker, Jefferson) – 6:19
7. Pinetop's Boogie (Pinetop Smith, Jefferson) – 3:17
8. Chameleon (Herbie Hancock, Paul Jackson, Bennie Maupin, Harvey Mason, Jefferson) – 4:32
9. Chameleon [alternate take] (Hancock, Jackson, Maupin, Mason, Jefferson) – 5:07 Additional track on CD release
Thanks to original uploader @ jazz-jazz ru
Thank you!
Thank you. Nice.
hi again from Canada, can it be possible to have a reload of this one : “Eddie Jefferson - Still on the Planet (1976)” ...thank you very much
Hello pe_35, Sorry, I had a good look for the album you requested but unfortunately I have not got it any more.
no problem my friend, i seen that you had it from jazzjazz.ru and it's delete there too, i tried many times to be member of this blog or translate but never had success to write for other files ....thank you for the answer i appreciate ....
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