Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
A Love Supreme at 60: Thoughts on Coltrane’s Masterwork
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
Annie Ross (1930–2020)
(Photo: Michael G. Stewart/National Endowment for the Arts)A brief but fruitful period defined the creative life of vocalist Annie Ross, who died July 21 from emphysema and heart disease at her home in Manhattan, according to The Guardian. She was 89.
Ross, a British-born vocalist who rose to prominence in the trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, began her career in entertainment as a child actress, and later in life would be featured in Hollywood productions like Throw Momma from the Train (1987), The Player (1992) and Short Cuts (1993).
Her continued influence on generations of performers, though, derived from the unique approach her vocal trio took. In part, improvisation was deployed atop jazz standards, raising scat singing to a footing equal with instrumentalists. But vocalese—or setting lyrics to fit classic jazz solos—also gave the ensemble a singular approach to the cannon.
In 1958, Lambert, Hendricks & Ross issued its first full-length album, the Creed Taylor-produced Sing A Song Of Basie, collecting songs from Count Basie’s songbook and setting the big-band tunes in a smaller group, allowing the talents of each singer to find a proper spotlight. Later recordings embraced bop works, too, including Sonny Rollins’ “Airegin.”
“Twisted,” a tune centered on Ross from the trio’s 1959 release, The Hottest New Group In Jazz, became a hit and found favor with performers like Joni Mitchell and Bette Midler, who later would cover the song.
Ross left the ensemble, which continued for a few years with a replacement vocalist, in 1962 as she dealt with heroin addiction.
Ross was born Annabelle Short on July 25, 1930, in Surrey, England, into a family of entertainers: Her parents’ careers in vaudeville seemingly created a template for her future career. She moved as a child to the States and for a time lived in Los Angeles with an aunt, Ella Logan, who was an actress.
Following the dissolution of her group with Dave Lambert and Jon Hendricks, Ross—who was the last surviving member of the trio—would move back to England, where she ran a club for a time. It wasn’t a total departure from the entertainment industry, but being separated from her trio mates clearly occupied her mind.
“When you want something so much, you can’t live for it all the time. You have to put it somewhere for a while,” Ross told DownBeat in an article titled Jon Hendricks & Annie Ross: Down For Double from the September 1999 issue. “Otherwise, you drive yourself crazy. You can’t talk about it, because you have to deal with things at hand. But it’s always there.”
Ross is survived by Kenny Clarke Jr., her son with drummer Kenny Clarke, as well as her partner, Dave Usher. DB
“This is one of the great gifts that Coltrane gave us — he gave us a key to the cosmos in this recording,” says John McLaughlin.
Mar 18, 2025 3:00 PM
In his original liner notes to A Love Supreme, John Coltrane wrote: “Yes, it is true — ‘seek and ye shall…
The Blue Note Jazz Festival New York kicks off May 27 with a James Moody 100th Birthday Celebration at Sony Hall.
Apr 8, 2025 1:23 PM
Blue Note Entertainment Group has unveiled the lineup for the 14th annual Blue Note Jazz Festival New York, featuring…
“I’m certainly influenced by Geri Allen,” said Iverson, during a live Blindfold Test at the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival.
Apr 15, 2025 11:44 AM
Between last Christmas and New Year’s Eve, Ethan Iverson performed as part of the 31st Umbria Jazz Winter festival in…
“At the end of the day, once you’ve run out of differences, we’re left with similarities,” Collier says. “Cultural differences are mitigated through 12 notes.”
Apr 15, 2025 11:55 AM
DownBeat has a long association with the Midwest Clinic International Band and Orchestra Conference, the premiere…
“It kind of slows down, but it’s still kind of productive in a way, because you have something that you can be inspired by,” Andy Bey said on a 2019 episode of NPR Jazz Night in America, when he was 80. “The music is always inspiring.”
Apr 29, 2025 11:53 AM
Singer Andy Bey, who illuminated the jazz scene for five decades with a four-octave range that encompassed a bellowing…