Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Biography
Regarded by many as jazz’s greatest vocal group, the seminal trio of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross changed the face of vocal music during their late-’50s/early-’60s heyday. Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross created their distinctive vocalese by applying bop principles to vocal melodies, turning instrumental jazz pieces into vocal songs, and trading vocal licks and scat solos in the manner of instrumental improvisers. Arranger Lambert made inventive use of the three singers’ complementary voices, while Hendricks provided witty lyrics that matched the intelligence of the trio’s vocal interaction and Ross provided one of the most distinctive and creative female voices ever to grace the jazz world.
Dave Lambert was already established as a singer and arranger, and had already worked with Gene Krupa and Charlie Parker, when he met Jon Hendricks in 1953. Lambert and Hendricks recorded several sides as a duo, some featuring note-for-note vocal recreations of original solos by Stan Getz, Woody Herman and Zoot Sims. After Lambert and Hendricks met Annie Ross, the trio began releasing albums in 1957 and became an instant sensation. Although they initially multi-tracked their vocals in the studio, the trio soon settled on recording their voices straight, with the backing of a jazz rhythm trio.
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross signed with Columbia Records in 1959, releasing four albums that expanded the trio’s musicianship and artistic ambition. The singers achieved considerable success, but Annie Ross, weary from the group’s constant touring, quit in 1962. Lambert and Hendricks recruited singer Yolande Bavan and made three more albums for RCA, before breaking up in 1964. Although Lambert was killed in a traffic accident in 1966, Hendricks and Ross have continued to perform and record, with Ross also maintaining a lengthy career as a film actress. Meanwhile, the collective influence of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross continues to be reflected in nearly every jazz vocal group that followed.
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