Ken Nordine

Ken Nordine (born April 13, 1920) is an American voiceover and recording artist best known for his series of "Word Jazz" albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that "you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you'll almost certainly recognize his voice." [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll?p=amg&sql=10:a08gtq7zpu47 All Music: Ken Nordine] ]

The son of an architect, Ken Nordine was born in Chicago, Illinois. In Chicago he attended Lane Technical College Prep High School and the University of Chicago. He has three sons with his wife Beryl whom he married in 1945. During the 1940s, he was heard on "The World's Great Novels" and other radio programs broadcast from Chicago.

He attracted much wider attention when he recorded the aural vignettes on "Word Jazz" (Dot, 1957). "Word Jazz", "Son of Word Jazz" (Dot, 1958) and his other albums in this vein feature Nordine's narration over cool jazz by the Chico Hamilton jazz group, recording under the alias of Fred Katz, who was then the cellist with Hamilton's quintet. [ [http://www.allmusic.com/cg/amg.dll All Music Guide] ]

Nordine began performing and recording such albums at the peak of the beat era and was associated with the poetry-and-jazz movement. However, some of Nordine's "writings are more akin to Franz Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe" than to the beats. [ [http://www.pipeline.com/~dada3zen/KEN_NORDINE.htm Ken Nordine Interviews] ] Many of his word jazz tracks feature critiques of societal norms. Some are lightweight and humorous, while others reveal dark, paranoid undercurrents and bizarre, dream-like scenarios.

Films and television

Nordine was Linda Blair's vocal coach for her role in "The Exorcist", [ [http://www.pipeline.com/~dada3zen/WORD.htm Benoit, Guy. "Ken Nordine: What's the Word?", April 19, 2000.] ] and "Word Jazz" inspired Tom Waits' spooky, spoken word-type pieces, such as "9th and Hennepin," "Frank's Wild Years" and "What's He Building in There?" [ [http://www.magictails.com/cdtom.html Tom Waits Discography] ]

On television, Nordine did a series of readings on a show titled "Faces in the Window", and Fred Astaire danced to Nordine's "My Baby" on a TV special. Nordine's past radio series were "Now Nordine" and "Word Jazz". He currently hosts a weekly radio program and maintains residences in Chicago, Illinois, and Spread Eagle, Wisconsin.

Nordine's DVD, "The Eye Is Never Filled" (2005) provides a flow of abstract visuals to accompany the audio tracks.

Partial discography

*1955 - Passion in the Desert (FM) / 1963 (FM)
*1957 - Word Jazz (Dot) / 1967 (Dot) / 1983 (MCA)
*1958 - Son of Word Jazz (Dot)
*1958 - Love Words (Dot) / 1959 (Dot)
*1959 - My Baby (Dot)
*1959 - Next! (Dot)
*1959 - The Voice of Love (Hamilton)
*1960 - Word Jazz Vol. 2 (Dot)
*1966 - Colors (Philips) / 1995 (Asphodel)
*1967 - Ken Nordine Does Robert Shure's Twink (Philips)
*1968 - The Classic Collection: The Best of Word Jazz Vol. 3 (Dot)
*1971 - How Are Things in Your Town? (Blue Thumb)
*1972 - Ken Nordine (Blue Thumb)
*1979 - Stare with Your Ears (Snail) / 1988 (Snail)
*1984 - Triple Talk (Snail)
*1986 - Grandson of Word Jazz (Snail)
*1990 - Best of Word Jazz (Rhino)
*1991 - Devout Catalyst (Grateful Dead)
*1993 - Upper Limbo (Grateful Dead)
*2001 - Transparent Mask (Asphodel)
*2002 - Ken Nordine Does Robert Shure's Twink, re-released as "Wink" (Asphodel)
*2005 - The Eye Is Never Filled (DVD, Snail)

Guest appearances

*1955 - The Shifting Whispering Sands - Billy Vaughn (Dot)
*1957 - Concert in the Sky - Teddy Phillips and His Orchestra (Decca)
*1958 - Sounds in Space (RCA Victor SP-33-13)
*1961 - Radio Rebus (US Army)
*1968 - H.P. Lovecraft II - H.P. Lovecraft (Philips) - "Nothing's Boy"
*1997 - Fun for the Whole Family - Lord Runningclam (Bottom Heavy) / 1998 (Moonshine Music) - "Faces in the Night" and "Flibberty Jib"
*1998 - Sound Museum - Towa Tei (Elektra) - "The Sound Museum"
*2000 - A Dub Plate of Food Vol. 2 - DJ Food (Ninja Tune)
*2000 - Kaleidoscope - DJ Food (Ninja Tune) - "The Ageing Young Rebel"
*2000 - Xen Cuts - Various Artists - DJ Food (Ninja Tune) - "The Ageing Young Rebel"
*2001 - Yonderboi & DJ Palotai - Sound Sculptors (intro)
*2007 - Excellent Italian Greyhound - Shellac (Touch & Go) - "Genuine Lulabelle" [uncredited]

Compilation tracks

*1959 - "Deejay's Choice: 25 Top Album Performances on Dot" (Dot) - "My Baby"
*1959 - "Excerpts from the Original Soundtrack of Another Evening with Fred Astaire" (Chrysler) - "My Baby"
*1965 - "A Child's Introduction to the Classics" (Childcraft/Wing) - "Barber of Seville"
*1973 - "Original Early Top 40 Hits" (Paramount) - "The Shifting Whispering Sands, Part 1" with Billy Vaughn
*1988 - "" (A&M)
*1991 - "Train of Thought: Stories, Music & Eclectic Audio Entertainment", Vol.1 (Com Audio) - "Mr. City"
*1992 - "The Beat Generation" box set (Rhino) - "Reaching Into In" and "Hunger Is From"
*1993 - "A Chance Operation: The John Cage Tribute" (Koch) - "A Cage Went in Search of a Bird"
*1994 - "Incredibly Strange Music", Vol. 2 (Asphodel) - "Flesh," "Green" and "Yellow"
*1995 - "All Day Thumbsucker Revisited" (Blue Thumb/GRP) - "Roger"
*1995 - "Chop Suey Rock (Hot & Sour)" - "Hot" as Ken Nordine and His Kinsmen
*1995 - "Monster Sounds and Boppin' Tracks" (Marginal) - "Strollin' Spooks"
*1997 - "Closed on Account of Rabies: Poems and Tales of Edgar Allan Poe" (Mercury) - "The Conqueror Worm"
*1999 - "The Annoying Music Show's The Annoying Music Show CD"
*2000 - "The Annoying Music Show's The Annoying Music Show Holiday CD" - "Ken Nordine Says Jim Nayder's Name"
*2002 - "The Best of the Beat Generation" (Rhino) - "My Baby"

Related recordings

*1951 - "Incredible But True Radio" (Columbia)

References

Listen to

* [http://www.wordjazz.com Ken Nordine's "Word Jazz"]
* [http://www.tuxjunction.net/media/mybaby.mp3 Ken Nordine's "My Baby"]
* [http://www.archive.org/details/OTRR_Certified_Incredible_But_True "Incredible, But True" (70+ episodes)]

External links

* [http://www.wordjazz.com/ Ken Nordine's Word Jazz site and podcast]
* [http://www.pipeline.com/~dada3zen/KEN_NORDINE.htm Ken Nordine: The One and Only]
*amg|id=11:3so20rjac48x|label=Ken Nordine

* [http://www.pipeline.com/~dada3zen/WORD.htm "Ken Nordine: What's the Word?" by Guy Benoit]
* [http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=5065035&ft=1&f=2 NPR: Ken Nordine]
* [http://www.last.fm/music/Ken+Nordine Ken Nordine at Last.fm]
* [http://blog.wfmu.org/freeform/2007/05/365_days_125_th.html The Nordine Groop on WFMU's Beware of the Blog]
* [http://www.brink.com/content/2910 Photos of 2007 Nordine performance]