Dave Lambert was a founding member of the highly popular vocal jazz trio Lambert, Hendricks and Ross. The group was together between 1957 and 1962. They are considered by many to be the greatest practitioners of vocalese, the art of putting words to existing jazz melodies and solos. Lambert was born in Boston, Massachusetts on June 19, 1917.

Lambert began his singing career midway through the big band era when he was in his early 20s. One of his first gigs was singing with the Johnny Long Orchestra, a group that had also backed Ella Fitzgerald, another pioneer of vocalese, on at least one record date. By the late 1940s Lambert was working with Buddy Stewart, a former singer with the Gene Krupa band.  Their partnership was cut short, though, when Stewart was killed in an automobile accident in 1950.

Later in that decade Lambert had met and was singing with Jon Hendricks, yet another vocalist who was interested in moving the art of vocal jazz forward. Established songstress Annie Ross joined them in 1957 during a recording project that produced the album “Sing a Song of Basie,” which caused a sensation and led to the trio being in demand for public performances throughout the world, as well as spawning a succession of hit LPs.

Like his friend and singing partner Stewart, Lambert also died in a traffic-related accident while changing a tire along the roadway at night. He and another man were killed by a passing truck.

Dave Lambert’s influence on vocal jazz is significant and the records he made during his career still enchant listeners and inspire jazz vocalists around the world today.

Here is a link to Lambert, Hendricks and Ross performing live at a jazz festival in France in 1961:

"FOUR"