This Is Bop: Jon Hendricks and the Art of Vocal Jazz

British jazz singer and journalist Jones (This Is Hip: The Life of Mark Murphy) here turns his attention to Jon Hendricks (1921–2017), most well known as one-third of the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross vocal trio from the late 1950s to the early 1960s. The author introduces contemporary readers to a talented singer and lyric writer: his youth as one of many children of an Ohio African American preacher; his encounters with jazz greats Art Tatum, Charlie Parker, and Dizzy Gillespie; his extraordinary experiences in the U.S. Army during World War II, including desertion and a court-martial; and his eventual success in recordings and concert tours. Hendricks’s two interracial marriages and his struggles with substance abuse and the none-too-subtle racism of mid-20th-century America provide substantial food for thought. Interviews with the artist and his colleagues sustain the narrative and paint a vivid picture of the jazz scene, while Jones’s expertise in analyzing Hendricks’s musical and poetic contributions is evident. Appendixes on scat, lyrics, and Hendricks’s wisdom and philosophy add interest.