"Twisted" | |
---|---|
Song | |
Released | 1952 |
Genre | Jazz |
Composer(s) | Wardell Gray |
Lyricist(s) | Annie Ross |
"Twisted" is a 1952 vocalese song with lyrics by Annie Ross, set to a tenor saxophone solo of the same name by Wardell Gray that was recorded in 1949. It has been covered by Bette Midler, Joni Mitchell, and many others.
"Twisted" is a whimsical account of the protagonist's insanity that satirises psychoanalysis. [1] [2] In 1952, Ross met Prestige Records owner Bob Weinstock, who asked her to write lyrics to a jazz solo, in a similar way to King Pleasure, a practice that would later be known as vocalese. The next day, she presented him with "Twisted", a treatment of saxophonist Wardell Gray's 1949 composition of the same name, a classic example of the genre. [3] [4] [5] She later said of the inspiration for the song:
The title was infinite possibilities. You could marry anything to it and it was the name signified, "Twisted." And it just occurred to me that it would be good as a kind of song about an analyst. [3]
The song, first released in 1952 and later collected on the album King Pleasure Sings/Annie Ross Sings, was an underground hit, and resulted in her winning DownBeat 's New Star award. [4] [6] [7] Ross released a second version with the vocalese trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross on their 1960 album The Hottest New Group in Jazz . Gramophone described that recording as "more lighthearted, perhaps a little more individual" than Ross' first release of the song. [8]
Joni Mitchell recorded the song on her 1974 album Court and Spark , featuring Cheech & Chong. In a 1974 interview, when asked why she covered the song, she said: "Because I love that song, I always have loved it. I went through analysis for a while this year and the song is about analysis. I figured that I earned the right to sing it. I tried to put it on the last record [ For the Roses ] but it was totally inappropriate. It had nothing to do with that time period and some of my friends feel it has nothing to do with this album either. It's added like an encore." [9]
Other covers include: [10]
The song was part of the live repertoire of the New Journeymen, before they evolved into the Mamas & the Papas. [1]
Roberta Joan "Joni" Mitchell is a Canadian-American musician, producer, and painter. As one of the most influential singer-songwriters to emerge from the 1960s folk music circuit, Mitchell became known for her starkly personal lyrics and unconventional compositions which grew to incorporate pop and jazz elements. She has received many accolades, including ten Grammy Awards and induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 1997. Rolling Stone called her "one of the greatest songwriters ever", and AllMusic has stated, "When the dust settles, Joni Mitchell may stand as the most important and influential female recording artist of the late 20th century".
Wardell Gray was an American jazz tenor saxophonist who straddled the swing and bebop periods.
Bette Midler is an American singer, actress, comedian and author. Throughout her career, which spans over five decades, Midler has received numerous accolades, including four Golden Globe Awards, three Grammy Awards, three Primetime Emmy Awards, two Tony Awards and a Kennedy Center Honor, in addition to nominations for two Academy Awards and a British Academy Film Award.
Vocalese is a style of jazz singing in which words are added to an instrumental soloist's improvisation.
Annabelle McCauley Allan Short, known professionally as Annie Ross, was a British-American singer and actress, best known as a member of the jazz vocal trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.
Court and Spark is the sixth studio album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Released in January 1974, it infuses the folk rock style of her previous albums with jazz elements.
John Carl Hendricks, known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists, such as the big-band arrangements of Duke Ellington and Count Basie. He is considered one of the best practitioners of scat singing, which involves vocal jazz soloing. Jazz critic and historian Leonard Feather called him the "Poet Laureate of Jazz", while Time dubbed him the "James Joyce of Jive". Al Jarreau called him "pound-for-pound the best jazz singer on the planet—maybe that's ever been".
King Pleasure was an American jazz vocalist and an early master of vocalese, where a singer sings words to a well-known instrumental solo.
Don Juan's Reckless Daughter is a 1977 double album by Canadian singer-songwriter Joni Mitchell. Her ninth album, it is unusual for its experimental style, expanding even further on the jazz-influenced sound of Mitchell's previous recordings. Mitchell has stated that, close to completing her contract with Asylum Records, she allowed this album to be looser than anything she had done previously.
Lambert, Hendricks & Ross were an American vocalese trio formed by jazz vocalists Dave Lambert, Jon Hendricks and Annie Ross. From 1962 to 1964, Ross was replaced by vocalist Yolande Bavan.
David Alden Lambert was an American jazz lyricist, singer, and an originator of vocalese. He was best known as a member of the trio Lambert, Hendricks & Ross. Lambert spent a lifetime experimenting with the human voice, and expanding the possibilities of its use within jazz.
"Moody's Mood for Love" is a 1952 song by Eddie Jefferson, whose melody is derived from an improvised solo by jazz saxophonist James Moody on a 1949 recording of the 1935 song "I'm in the Mood for Love". The song is structured as a duet, with a man proclaiming his love for a woman, and the woman responding in kind.
Twisted may refer to:
The Hottest New Group in Jazz, also known by its full title Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross!: "The Hottest New Group in Jazz" or alternatively considered self-titled, is the fourth album by Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, released in 1960. The title is a quote from Downbeat magazine. The CD reissue combines the full original album with the group's two other Columbia albums: the 1961 LP Lambert, Hendricks & Ross Sing Ellington and the 1962 LP High Flying. The CD release additionally includes seven previously unreleased "rarities", recorded in 1962. On all these recordings, the group is backed up by the Ike Isaacs Trio.
Bette Midler Sings the Rosemary Clooney Songbook is an album by the American singer Bette Midler. It was produced by Barry Manilow and marked the first time that Midler had worked with Manilow in more than twenty years. It was also Midler's first album for Columbia Records after nearly 30 years recording for Warner Music Group. Columbia Records is owned by Sony Music Entertainment.
Mark "Moogy" Klingman was an American musician and songwriter. He was a founding member of Todd Rundgren's band, Todd Rundgren's Utopia, and later became a solo recording artist, bandleader and songwriter. He released two solo recordings, and his songs have been covered by artists as wide ranging as Johnny Winter, Carly Simon, James Cotton, Thelma Houston, Eric Clapton, Barry Manilow and Guns N' Roses. He played on stage with Jimi Hendrix, Chuck Berry, Luther Vandross, Lou Reed, Jeff Beck and Allan Woody & Warren Haynes of the Allman Brothers and Gov't Mule. Other than Rundgren, his longest musical association may have been with Bette Midler, whom he served as band leader and who adopted for her signature song "(You Gotta Have) Friends", composed by Klingman and William "Buzzy" Linhart.
Marlena Shaw Live at Montreux is a live album by American vocalist Marlena Shaw recorded at the Montreux Jazz Festival in 1973 and released on the Blue Note label. Shaw's introduction to the track "Woman of the Ghetto" was sampled for St. Germain's album Tourist (2000), Blue Boy's "Remember Me" (1996), Ghostface Killah's song "Ghetto" (2010), and Spanish hip hop group Violadores del Verso in their song "Balantains".
Rah is a 1962 studio album by Mark Murphy, arranged by Ernie Wilkins.
Sing Along with Basie is an album by vocalese jazz group Lambert, Hendricks & Ross with Joe Williams and the Count Basie Orchestra recorded in 1958 and originally released on the Roulette label.
Annie Ross Sings a Song with Mulligan! is an album by vocalist Annie Ross with jazz saxophonist and bandleader Gerry Mulligan featuring performances recorded in 1957 and 1958 which were released on the World Pacific label.