(vocal jazz) [WEB] London, Meader, Pramuk & Ross - The Royal Bopsters Project (with Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough, Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan & Annie Ross) - 2015, FLAC (tracks), lossless

The Royal Bopsters Project is a singular recording with a one-two vocal jazz punch. It simultaneously introduces a powerful new vocal jazz quartet –London, Meader, Pramuk & Ross – while it serves as a stellar vehicle to honor five of the most influential jazz vocalese legends of all time: Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough, Jon Hendricks, Sheila Jordan, and Annie Ross. This epic and historic release is co-produced by Motema artist Amy London with vocalist/arranger Darmon Meader, the founder, tenor and key arranger of the famed New York Voices. Street date for The Royal Bopsters Project is September 4th and it will be supported by a week-long series of concerts, with performances by various permutations of its ‘royal bopster’ featured singers from September 15th through 19th at Birdland in New York City. (Sadly ‘royal bopster’ Mark Murphy, who sings on four tracks on this record, is not well enough to perform – but hopefully he may be well enough to come and cheer from the sidelines for some of the shows.)
With singers ranging from age 33 to 93, The Royal Bopsters Project, is a multi-generational vocal summit on which the talents of singers Amy London, Darmon Meader, Dylan Pramuk and Holli Ross unite in harmony to pay tribute to the art of vocalese singing and to the forefathers and mothers of their favored art form. This homage features five vocalese pioneers, each of who helped to invent the bop-vocal or ‘vocalese’ art form. Six-time Grammy nominee Mark Murphy (b. 1932), considered one of the most influential vocalists in jazz, appears on four tracks, including an outstanding new version of Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay,” a song which stands very tall among Murphy’s many breakthrough recordings. Four of the ‘bopsters’ ­ ­– NEA Jazz Masters and Grammy Award-winners Jon Hendricks (b. 1921) and Annie Ross (b.1930) who represent two thirds of the pioneering vocalese group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross; NEA Jazz Master Sheila Jordan (b.1928); and Arkansas Hall of Famer and Schoolhouse Rock mastermind Bob Dorough (b. 1923) have one feature track on this recording.
Four years in the making, The Royal Bopsters Project was initially conceived by producer/vocalist/arranger Amy London as a twilight years feature for her musical hero and close friend Mark Murphy, who she cites as a key influence, (as do scores of other successful jazz singers.) One by one, the other ‘royal bopsters’ signed on for the project at London’s behest. “ I can’t believe my luck to have all of my vocal jazz heroes on this one recording,” says London, a jazz vocal hero herself at this point, having helped to found the prestigious New School Jazz Vocal program, one of the first and most respected such programs in the country, out of which many top young vocalists have emerged. “I wanted to honor these elders and bring their music to a new generation who may not be aware of their importance to this music.”
London, who has released two acclaimed albums on Motema (When I Look in Your Eyes and Let’s Fly), happily returns to her group singing roots with The Royal Bopsters Project. London was still in her teens when she first saw Mark Murphy perform at the Blue Wisp in her hometown of Cincinnati. It was that show that set her on the path to becoming a jazz singer, a career which has led her to many prestigious endeavors, including an extended run as one of the original cast members chosen by Cy Coleman for his Broadway hit musical, City of Angels.
In 2010, Amy and her longtime group-singing pal, Holli Ross, went to visit Murphy, then 78, to cheer him up after health issues caused him to move to the Actors Fund Home in Englewood, NJ (not far from London’s and Ross’ homes). The three became fast friends as London and Ross visited regularly and took their vocal hero on outings to clubs in NYC and to London’s classes at the New School. In fact, the initial spark of this recording was a 2011 concert that London staged at the New School to feature Murphy. For that show, she put together a ten student jazz choir, which included one of her students, Dylan Pramuk, a young and gifted bop bass vocalist and arranger from the West Coast, as a key member. Also featured were Holli Ross and London herself, who sang the soprano lead. The concert was a resounding success, and London immediately recognized that the one-night collaboration was greater than the sum of its individual parts. With her own soprano, Pramuk’s bass and Ross’ alto in place, she just needed a tenor to round out a new quartet that she envisioned that night. Fortunately, she was able to tap the talents of her dear friend Darmon Meader to join and to eventually co-produce this recording.
It took three years for the recording to come together, due mainly to the schedules of the four other vocal legends that London recruited as the project evolved. While Murphy was the ‘featured star,’ eventually the guest list expanded to include four more masters: Bob Dorough, the famed pianist, singer, composer, songwriter, arranger and producer, who shines here on his own “Nothing Like You Has Ever Been Seen Before; Jon Hendricks – who more than lives up to his the monikers, the “Poet Laureate of Jazz” and the “James Joyce of Jive” with his lively vocal banter with Pramuk on the opening track;” Sheila Jordan, who proves here, with her alluring version of Horace Sliver’s “Peace,” that, as Scott Yanow once wrote, she is still “one of the most consistently creative of all jazz singers” not to mention that, as Charlie Parker used to say, “ she has million dollar ears;” and Annie Ross, who, according to Rex Reed, personifies “a master class in how to sing jazz inside out, upside and down;”( Ross touchingly sings her NEA Jazz Master’s acceptance song “Music is Forever” by Russ Freeman for which she wrote lyrics that eulogize the many lost greats of jazz.)
Providing instrumental support to this incredible compendium of vocal prowess are four musicians who are more than up to the task. Pianist Steve Schmidt, a close friend of London’s since her childhood in Cincinnati, played for many years with Murphy at the Blue Wisp in Cincinnati as well as on the road. Bassist Sean Smith also played with Murphy for many years, and is the composer of the gorgeous “Song for the Geese,” the title tune of a late 80’s Mark Murphy record, which Murphy says was one of his favorites of his career (and for which he wrote the lyrics.) Smith and Murphy have collaborated on music and lyrics extensively for the past three decades. Drummer Steve Williams worked with Shirley Horn, (Murphy’s favorite singer), for 30 years, and percussionist Steven Kroon, well versed in the art of rhythmically supporting singers, has performed with such vocal icons as Luther Vandross, Diana Krall and Aretha Franklin. In addition to this strong cast of players, bassist Cameron Brown, who counts Sheila Jordan among his mentors, and London’s husband, the guitarist Roni Ben Hur, make guest appearances on the album.
The repertoire on The Royal Bopsters Project spans three generations of swinging songwriting, brought into the present day by additional lyrics from various members of the ensemble, and by inventive arrangements primarily by Meader and Pramuk. The 1940’s are represented by a swinging quartet version of Annie Ross and David Ball’s “Let’s Fly,” (with London in the lead), as well as by Charlie Parker’s “Chasin’ the Bird”, updated here to “Bird Chasin’” – both tracks featuring fresh lyrics by London. On “Bird Chasin’,” Murphy reanimates the beat generation with an energetic reading from Jack Kerouac’s On the Road. Tribute is paid to the 1950s with such standards as Branislaw Kaper’s “Invitation” and Horace Silver’s “Senor Blues,” as well as the quartet’s creative new rendition of “Basheer’s Dream” by Gigi Gryce. The 1960s represent via Bob Dorough’s “Nothing Like You,” and a vocalese version of Roger Kellaway’s “Step Right Up,” for which Holli Ross wrote new lyrics. Penned in the 1970s is Murphy’s vocalese version of Freddie Hubbard’s bop-funk classic, “Red Clay.” Murphy’s lyrics first appeared on his 1975 Muse album Mark Murphy Sings, and appear again here with a vigorous and fresh new take. Another Muse release, 1981’s Bop for Kerouac, which many consider to be Murphy’s greatest recording, featured Murphy’s vocalese take on Miles Davis’ “Boplicity;” here the ‘royal bopsters’ harmonically propel this classic into the new century, with new lyrics again contributed by Hollis Ross. Noted jazz author James Gavin provides the liner notes.

In the beginning, and by "beginning" I mean the February 26, 1926 commitment to shellac of Boyd Atkins' "Heebie Jeebies" by one Louis Armstrong. Legend has it that Armstrong dropped his lyric sheet while recording the song and no words to sing, began to improvise his vocals, creating scat singing. This was one of the first innovations to occur in jazz vocals, which were essentially being created by Armstrong this this and other recordings. It is not a far reach to see how vocalese could emerge as part of the evolution of the genre.
Vocalese is a subgenre of jazz vocals created by writing lyrics to fit recorded instrumental solos. The first recorded example of vocalese was on a 1929 recording by Bee Palmer singing words to the Bix Beiderbecke's coronet solo from "Singing the Blues." It was not until the late 1940s when the style was galvanized by Eddie Jefferson's 1952 penning of words to James Moody's 1948 saxophone solo on "I'm in the Mood for Love," which became "Moody's Mood for Love." While this made a ripple, it was not until 1954, when King Pleasure blew the doors open with his version and several other Jefferson-penned vocalese, including Charlie Parker's "Parker's Mood" and Gene Ammon's "Red Top."
With Lambert, Hendricks and Ross came ensemble vocalese. From there came the Manhattan Transfer, New York Voices, and Take 6. But back to Lambert, Hendricks and Ross...Dave Lambert died as the result of a car accident in 1966, but Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross remain very much alive and performing. Both are brought together with other vocalese royalty, Mark Murphy, Bob Dorough, and Sheila Jordan in The Royal Bopsters Project. The project is the brainchild of vocalist Amy London and Darmon Meader, tenor and principle arranger of The New York Voices. Vocalists Holli Ross and West Coast bass voice and arranger Dylan Pramuk make up the core quartet that supports these jazz greats on this recording.
Central to this recording is vocalist Mark Murphy, who can only be considered in the same thought as Eddie Jefferson and King Pleasure in the field of vocalese. He is featured on 4 of the 12 selections on the disc, with the other "Royal Bopsters" showing up on one each. Murphy's contributions are the highlights of the release. He reprises his 1970 recording of Freddie Hubbard's "Red Clay" as "On the Red Clay." Murphy is in excellent voice. He also re-addresses his take on Horace Silver's "Senor Blues," which he sings with punch and vigor. Amy London provided be lyrics to Charlie Parker's "Chasin' the Bird" retitled "Bird Chasin'" which includes a spirited reading of passages from Jack Kerouac's On The Road, bringing the entire Beat theme to a full boil. The pinnacle of the recital occurs on a re-tooling of Murphy's interpretation of Miles Davis' "Boplicity" (presented here as "Bebop Lives") in cooperation with Holli Ross. It is exquisite.
This is not to short change the other royals. Arkansas Jazz Hall of Fame member Bob Doroough presents his "Nothing Like You has Every Been Seen Before" and remains vital in his early 90s as does Jon Hendricks on "Music in the Air." Shelia Jordan percolates on Horace Silver's "Peace," while the inestimable Annie Ross kills on "Music is Forever." This project unites a new voice in Jazz Quartet singing, whose ideas are fresh and plans are set. The project is well framed by excellent liner notes provided by New York City Music writer James Gavin, whose own Deep in a Dream remains the definitive cultural commentary on the life of trumpeter Chet Baker. If all musical projects could be this well programmed...

Amy London - vocals
Darmon Meader - vocals
Dylan Pramuk - vocals
Holli Ross - vocals
with
Steve Schmidt - piano
Sean Smith - bass
Cameron Brown - bass
Steve Williams - drums
Steven Kroon - percussion
Roni Ben Hur - guitar
Mark Murphy - vocals (## 02, 09)
Bob Dorough - vocals (# 11)
Jon Hendricks - vocals (# 01)
Sheila Jordan - vocals (# 03)
Annie Ross - vocals (# 08)