Jazz vocalist and lyricist Eddie Jefferson was born on August 3, 1918 in
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. He is acknowledged as the innovator of vocalese, a
style of jazz singing in which words are added to a soloist’s improvisation.
Jefferson was best-known for the songs “Moody’s Mood for Love”, “Parker’s Mood”,
“So What”, and “Filthy McNasty”. Jefferson released a series of solo albums
between 1962 and 1979 including Letter from Home (1962), Come Along with Me
(1969), Things Are Getting Better (1974), The Jazz Singer (1976) and The Main
Man (1977). He also recorded albums with James M...