Tom Lellis

Residing in New York, Tom Lellis belongs to a category of male jazz vocalists that has grown increasingly rare in recent times. Drawing from sources such as Mark Murphy and Jon Hendricks, among additional figures, Lellis has never achieved the recognition his abilities merit. His strengths nevertheless stand out clearly, as he brings perceptive insight to lyric interpretation while also pursuing adventurous, emotionally charged improvisation; he has frequently supplied words to jazz instrumentals that originally lacked them, among them Keith Jarrett's "Lucky Southern," Herbie Hancock's "Tell Me a Bedtime Story," Chick Corea's "Times Lie," Dave Brubeck's "The Duke," McCoy Tyner's "Man from Tangayika," and Wayne Shorter's "E.S.P." Although he now makes his home in New York, that city was not his birthplace. Born in Cleveland on April 8, 1946, Lellis—who also performs on acoustic piano—was raised in the northern Ohio metropolis, where he first performed jazz vocals during his teenage years. Following his relocation to New York in 1973, he established a presence throughout the Manhattan club circuit. He completed his debut recording, And in This Corner, in 1979; the Los Angeles-based Inner City imprint issued it on LP in 1981. That initial release featured a strong supporting cast, including acoustic bassist Eddie Gomez, long associated with pianist Bill Evans, and drummer Jack DeJohnette. In more favorable circumstances Lellis might have amassed an extensive discography, yet his studio appearances have remained infrequent. His next project, Double Entendre, which again paired him with DeJohnette and Gomez, appeared on Beamtide Music in 1991. It was succeeded by his sole Concord Jazz effort, Taken to Heart, issued in 1993 and marked by collaborations with Brazilian guitarist Toninho Horta. After leaving Concord, Lellis produced no further albums until he recorded Skylark, a session featuring Holland's Metropole Orchestra, for Total Music Design. In 2002 the Japanese P-Vine label finally reissued his debut album, And in This Corner, on CD.