This is Bop

BEST HISTORICAL RESEARCH IN RECORDED JAZZ Certificate of Merit 2021, Association for Recorded Sound Collections Awards for Excellence in Historical Recorded Sound Research

If any man could be defined as the epitome of the modern jazz singer, it would surely be Jon Hendricks. His contributions to jazz were colossal: a hipster, a bopster, a comic and raconteur, a word-smith par excellence, and a fearless improviser, he took the arts of scatting and vocalese to new heights. As a founder member of the groundbreaking vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, he changed forever the public perception of what a jazz singer could be.

This is Bop is the first biography of Jon Hendricks. Based on extensive research in both the USA and the UK, it draws on the author’s interviews with the Hendricks family and the many singers, musicians and industry figures who worked closely with him. As well as telling the story of his remarkable life, it also explores his legacy as a lyricist and a scat singer, his contribution to the art of vocalese, and his extraordinary gifts as a thinker and raconteur.