Album Notes

"A gifted persuasive vocalist with impressive strength. On "Double Entendre" Gomez and DeJohnette surpass their role as sidemen, producing a brilliant fusion of styles between the three musicians, largely due to Lellis' sophisticated versatility as both vocalist and pianist. Tom Lellis should fascinate not only vocal fans, but instrumental fans, thus producing an ideal vocal form. What a treat it would be to hear this band live."
Jazzlife, Tokyo, Japan

"An extremely rare breed of artist. Music fit for a serious listening jazz club. This talented man's work cannot be ignored."
Swing Journal, Tokyo

TOM LELLIS, voice, piano, keyboards
EDDIE GOMEZ, bass
JACK DEJOHNETTE, drums
ALLEN FARNHAM, piano, keyboards

TOM LELLIS

Tom Lellis began singing professionally at the age of 15 in Cleveland, Ohio. By age 21 he was the house singer at the
5th largest nightclub in the U.S. (Three Rivers Inn , Syracuse NY) with a big band on bills with Ray Charles and Gregory Hines and later in clubs across the U.S.
His debut album on Inner City Records in 1981 became a fixture in London jazz discos and featured world-class musicians, drummer Jack DeJohnette and bassist Eddie Gomez. Double Entendre, also with these musicians, was released in 1991 in the U.S. and in Japan where the press sighted him as rare and gifted and for "producing an ideal vocal form." With the release of his 1993 Concord recording Taken to Heart, Tom expanded to Brazilian music. The collaboration with guitarist and composer, Toninho Horta resulted in "Mountain Flight" which was further published in the Latin Real Book and CD. Two more Horta/Lellis works are published in the All Jazz Real Book (Sher Music) from the CD Southern Exposure. Concord's Jazz By The Fire CD, released in 2000, features Tom. He was voted to the Down Beat International Critic's Poll and Reader Poll and dubbed by numerous writers and critics, "a triple threat". Singing Jazz, The Singers and their Styles (Miller-Freeman) contains his quotes. Tom has taught as Guest Professor of Vocal Jazz at Arts and Music University in Graz, Austria.
Tom's release, "Skylark" was named "Top Jazz Vocal CD of 2002" by the International Association of Jazz Education Journal. "Skylark", Tom's live recorded performance with the world's preeminent jazz orchestra, the 52-piece, stringed, Netherlands Metropole Orchestra, is conducted by John Clayton Jr. with orchestrations by Grammy winner Vince Mendoza and others. New York's WBGO radio called it "the most requested recording in years". The CD consists entirely of original compositions, lyric versions and his arrangement concepts.
Southern Exposure (Adventure Music), a documentation of his Brazilian and jazz influences, features Toninho Horta, Romero Lubambo, Dave Kikoski, Kenny Werner and others. It has been named one of the "Best of 2004" by Jazziz and the IAJE Journal. "Avenue of the Americas" Tom Lellis' new CD with Horta, Richard Bona and others is now in release