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Jon Hendricks to Celebrate 93rd Birthday with Café Carlyle Debut on Tuesday, September 23

Jazz lyricist and singer Jon Hendricks will celebrate his 93rd birthday with a debut at Café Carlyle on Tuesday, September 23. Hendricks’ iconic career spans nearly 50 years.

During the radical 1960s and ’70s, Jon Hendricks was one-third of the jazz group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. Hendricks’s lyrical talent came to afford him the title of the originator of "vocalese." The process adds lyrics to existing jazz orchestral instrumental songs, replacing the instruments with vocalists.

His most prominent use of vocalese was on a recording of Duke Ellington's “Cottontail” by Lambert, Hendricks and Ross in 1960.

His vocalese trend wasn’t all positive. As WNYC reports, Miles Davis once ate Hedricks' steak because he messed with his solos.

Hendricks celebrated fame when his lyrics were sung by the Ray Charles, Nancy Wilson, Dinah Washington, The Manhattan Transfer, Thelonious Monk and Carmen McRae.

And in 1966, Hendricks recorded “Fire in the City” the Warlocks, later to be called the Grateful Dead.

Nearly 40 years later, He is currently playing in a trio with daughter Aria Hendricks and Kevin Fitzgerald Burke.

The performance will take place at 8:45 p.m. Reservations can be made by phone at 212.744.1600 for $40 or $55 for premium seating ($20 at the bar).

Reservations made online at www.ticketweb.com, however, are $35 with $50 for premium seating.

Watch below as The Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, led by trumpeter Wynton Marsalis, performs "Soul for Sale," featuring Jon Hendricks on vocals.


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