Jazz Singer

Edgar "Eddie" Jefferson was a multi-instrumentalist, and a versatile entertainer with a head for business that allowed him to become a player/manager in the band of saxophonist James Moody. Jefferson fooled around with the concept of imitating famous solos by scat singing, but took the idea a step further, putting words to the solos. He fashioned words to Moody's famous solo in "I'm in the Mood for Love," thus coining a style which was subsequently popularized by King Pleasure and Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, and continues in vogue today. "Moody's Mood for Love" is included here, along with other adaptions like Miles Davis's "So What" and "Lester's Trip to the Moon (Paper Moon)." --John Swenson