Honi Gordon

Honi Gordon was among the one-album miracles of jazz; the obscure, bop-oriented vocalist recorded only 1 LP like a single designer (1962’s little-known Honi Gordon Sings). But her insufficient exposure had not been because of too little skill. Gordon, the girl of vocalist/composer George Gordon, got an appealing design that was affected by Sarah Vaughan, Ella Fitzgerald, and Billie Vacation, aswell as Annie Ross. There have been also tips of Chris Connor in a few of her shows. Gordon 1st sang appropriately in the first ’50s, when she joined up with a jazz vocal group known as the Gordons. That clothing was a family group affair, comprising Honi Gordon aswell as her dad and two brothers. Although group didn’t sell a whole lot of information, it attracted the interest of Charles Mingus and do some recording using the well-known bassist/pianist/bandleader. Pianist Mary Lou Williams was also an admirer of the group, as was bandleader/vibist Lionel Hampton. non-etheless, the Gordons were not able to sustain an extended career, plus they split up. By the first ’60s, Honi Gordon was seeking a single career. She documented her first single recording, Honi Gordon Sings, for Prestige in 1962, utilizing such noteworthy jazzmen as acoustic bassist George Duvivier, drummer Ed Shaughnessy, as well as the eclectic pianist Jaki Byard. The recording was quite encouraging; Gordon demonstrated herself to be always a solid interpreter of lyrics on materials that ranged from Mingus’ “Strollin'” and the typical “Ill Wind flow” to her father’s “My Kokomo.” But, sadly, Gordon’s first single recording was also her last — after Honi Gordon Sings, she under no circumstances recorded again like a single designer. In 1991, Dream reissued Honi Gordon Sings on Compact disc for the limited editions type of its First Jazz Classics (OJC) series.