Boppin at the Blue Note
These 1993 live recordings of senior scat singer and lyricist Jon Hendricks are certainly an all-star affair, with contributions from tenor saxophonist Benny Golson, trombonist Al Grey, and Wynton Marsalis, who joins in scatting as well as playing trumpet. But it's also a family affair, with first Michele and then Judith and Aria Hendricks joining in as well on vocals. High spirits are contagious with scat singing, and there's almost a party atmosphere, whether the songs are well-known standards or Hendricks's verbally adroit originals. The CD concludes with the Hendricks family revisiting the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross vocalese arrangements of Count Basie material, with the richer harmonies of "Shiny Stockings" standing up best. This is a celebration of a significant talent.--Stuart Broomer