For fans of vocal jazz, Eddie Jefferson's The Jazz Singer, subtitled Vocal Improvisations on Famous Jazz Solos, is one of the cornerstones of vocalese – the art of penning new lyrics to a pre-existing jazz solo. The album is an absolute treasure trove, ranging from Jefferson's treatment of the legendary Coleman Hawkins solo from ‘Body and Soul’ to his remarkable composite version of ‘Now's the Time’, based on the tune's head and solos from Bird and Miles. Highlights on The Main Man include a tender ‘Moody's Mood For Love’ (also recorded on The Jazz Singer and a song that Jefferson returned to throughout his career), which also features the briefest vocal cameo from Janet Lawson, a humorous ‘Benny's From Heaven', a bracing ‘Summertime’ and the impressively rapid-fire wordplay of ‘Freedom Jazz Dance’. The exemplary band includes the propulsive rhythm section of pianist Harold Mabern, bassist George Duvivier and drummer Billy Hart (Mabern and Hart both thankfully still producing great music), with impressive arrangements by trombonist Slide Hampton. Jefferson's untimely demise, gunned down outside a Detroit nightclub in May 1979, aged 60, robbed the music of one its vocal pioneers.