Eddie Jefferson - In Concert (1979) - DVD

This exceptional DVD includes rare footage of the last performance by the King of Vocalese, the late great jazz vocalist Eddie Jefferson. Only two days after the filming of his live concert at Joe Segal's Jazz Showcase in Chicago on May 6, 1979, Jefferson was tragically shot to death outside of a Detroit nighclub. At 61, he was still performing with an exuberance and intensity that belied this year.
The founding father of a singing style called "vocalese" - putting lyrics to recorded solos and performing them note for note - Eddie Jefferson's influence on jazz is still being felt today. He possessed an irrepressible swing feel, excellent enunciation, a strong percussive attack and an uncanny ability to duplicate even the most difficult instrumental passages.