Eddie Jefferson

Eddie Jefferson originated vocalese, the art of fitting lyrics to existing jazz solos, and although his vocal instrument was limited he ranked among the idiom’s elite singers by making the most of his resources. He began his career as a tap dancer before turning to singing and lyric writing by the close of the 1940s. A 1949 live date later issued on Spotlite captured him creating vocalese for the first time as he set words to “Parker’s Mood” and to Lester Young’s improvisation on “I Cover the Waterfront.” His celebrated text for “Moody’s Mood for Love,” however, reached the public first through King Pleasure’s 1952 recording, which also became a hit with Pleasure’s reading of “Parker’s Mood.” That same year Jefferson cut his initial studio session, incorporating Coleman Hawkins’s solo on “Body and Soul.” He then collaborated with James Moody from 1953 to 1957. Although he continued to record sporadically through the 1950s and 1960s, his innovations received little attention until the following decade. He rejoined Moody from 1968 to 1973 and, in his final years, frequently appeared alongside Richie Cole. Jefferson was fatally shot outside a Detroit nightclub in 1979. Among his other notable lyrics were those written for “Jeannine,” “Lady Be Good,” “So What,” “Freedom Jazz Dance,” and even “Bitches Brew.” His discography includes sessions for Savoy, Prestige, a lone Checker single, Inner City, and Muse, with his last recordings finally surfacing in 1999 as Vocal Ease.