- Annie Ross
Infobox actor
caption =
birthdate = Birth date and age|1930|7|25|mf=y
birthplace =Mitcham ,Surrey ,England , UKAnnie Ross (born
July 25 1930 ) is ajazz singer and actress, best known as a member of the trio "Lambert, Hendricks & Ross ".Biography
Personal life
Annie Ross was born Annabelle Short in
Mitcham ,Surrey ,England , the daughter of Scottishvaudevillian parents May Dalziel (née Allan) and Jack Short. [ [http://www.filmreference.com/film/62/Annie-Ross.html Annie Ross Biography (1930-) ] ] She was raised inLos Angeles, California by her aunt, singerElla Logan . Her brother was the entertainerJimmy Logan .Career
Ross is one of the early practitioners of a singing style known as "
vocalese ", which involves the setting of original lyrics to an instrumental jazz solo. Her 1952 treatment of saxophonistWardell Gray 's "Twisted" is a classic example of vocalese. "Twisted" is perhaps her most famous song and has been recorded byJoni Mitchell ,Bette Midler and many others. Her first album, "Singin' and Swingin' " (1952) was recorded in New York with members of theModern Jazz Quartet . Other albums include "Skylark" (1956), "Sings A Song With Mulligan" (1958) with baritone saxophonistGerry Mulligan andChet Baker on trumpet, "A Gasser!" (1959) withZoot Sims , "In Hoagland" (1981) withGeorgie Fame andHoagy Carmichael , and "Music Is Forever" (1995) featuringTommy Flanagan on piano.She recorded seven albums with
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross between 1957 and 1962. Their first, "Sing A Song OfBasie " (1957), was to have been performed by a group of singers hired byJon Hendricks andDave Lambert with Annie brought in only as vocal consultant. When the first two tracks were recorded and deemed unsatisfactory, it was decided that the trio should attempt recording the material andoverdub all the additional vocals themselves. The resulting album was a hit and the trio became an international sensation. Over the next five years,Lambert, Hendricks & Ross toured all over the world and recorded such classic albums as "Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross! " (aka "The Hottest New Group In Jazz", 1959), "Sing Ellington" (1960), "High Flying" (1962), and "The Real Ambassadors " (1962), written byDave Brubeck and featuringLouis Armstrong andCarmen McRae .Annie left the group in 1962 and in 1964 opened her own nightclub in London. Annie's Room featured performances by such jazz luminaries as Joe Williams,
Stuff Smith ,Blossom Dearie ,Anita O'Day ,Jon Hendricks , andErroll Garner as well as Annie herself. A compilation of Annie's performances from Annie's Room in 1965 was released on CD in 2006.Ross is also an accomplished actress and has appeared in a number of films. As a child, she sang "Loch Lomond" in "
Our Gang Follies of 1938 " and later playedJudy Garland 's sister in "Presenting Lily Mars " (1943). Other notable roles include Vera Webster in "Superman III " (1983), Mrs. Hazeltine in "Throw Mama From The Train" (1987), Loretta Cresswood in "Pump Up the Volume" (1990), Lydia in "Blue Sky " (1994), and most notably as Tess Trainer inRobert Altman 's "Short Cuts " (1993). She also provided the singing voice for Britt Ekland's part in the cult classic "The Wicker Man" (1973). On stage, Ross appeared in "Cranks" (1955) in bothLondon andNew York , "The Threepenny Opera " (1972) withVanessa Redgrave , "The Seven Deadly Sins" atThe Royal Opera House , "Kennedy's Children" (1975) at Arts Theatre, London, "Side By Side By Sondheim ", and in theJoe Papp production of "The Pirates Of Penzance " (1982) withTim Curry .Annie Ross can currently be seen in a critically acclaimed engagement every Tuesday night at The Metropolitan Room at Gotham (34 W. 22nd St.) in
New York City with Tardo Hammer on piano, Neal Miner on bass, Tony Jefferson on drums, andWarren Vache on trumpet.Discography
*"Singin' and Swingin' " (1952)
*"King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings" (1952)
*"Tony Crombie And His Orchestra" (1954) (Decca DFE6247)
*"Cranks (Original London Cast Recording)" (1955)
*"Skylark" (1956)
*"Sings A Song With Mulligan!" (1958)
*"A Gasser!" (1959)
*"Gypsy" (1959)
*"Loguerhythms" (1962)
*"Sings A Handful Of Songs" (1963)
*"Annie Ross & Pony Poindexter" (1967)
*"Facade" (1967)
*"You And Me Baby" (1971)
*"In Hoagland " (1981)
*"Short Cuts (Soundtrack") (1993)
*"Music Is Forever" (1995)
*"Cool For Kids" (2001)
*"Annie Ross In Poland,1965" (2002)
*"Let Me Sing" (2005)
*"Live In London,1965" (2006)Lambert, Hendricks & Ross albums
*"Sing A Song of Basie" (1957)
*"Sing Along With Basie" (1958)
*"The Swingers!" (1958)
*"Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross! " (aka "The Hottest New Group In Jazz") (1959)
*"Sing Ellington" (1960)
*"The Real Ambassadors " (1962)
*"High Flying" (aka "The Way-Out Voices of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross") (1962)References
External links
* [http://home.earthlink.net/~tardo/annie.html Official site]
*amg|id=11:yi0xlfje5cqt|label=Annie Ross
*imdb|id=0517506|label=Annie Ross
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