Word Jazz

Word Jazz is the debut album by voice-over and recording artist Ken Nordine with the Fred Katz Group which was released on the Dot label in 1957.^[1]

Word Jazz
Studio album by Ken Nordine with the Fred Katz Group
Released	1957
Recorded	July 1957
Studio	Chicago, IL
Genre	Jazz
Length	39:50
Label	Dot
Producer	Tom Mack
Ken Nordine chronology
Passion in the Desert (1955) Word Jazz (1957) Son of Word Jazz (1957)

Reception

Professional ratings

Review scores
Source	Rating
Allmusic	[2]

The Allmusic site rated the album 4+1⁄2 stars stating "the combination sounds not unlike a radio announcer performing beat poetry in places...mostly because that's exactly what it is. That would be selling this album short, though, because Nordine proves himself more than capable of providing both the smooth vocal tones as well as the truly twisted creative sense necessary to pull this off... Word Jazz is still an innovative album and definitely worthy of the sequels that followed."^[2]

Track listing

All compositions by Ken Nordine and Fred Katz

1. "What Time Is It?" – 3:48
2. "My Baby" – 2:36
3. "Sound Museum" – 7:09
4. "The Vidiot" – 5:30
5. "Roger" – 5:05
6. "Hunger Is From" – 3:47
7. "Looks Like It's Going to Rain" – 3:27
8. "Flibberty Jib" – 4:42

Personnel

• Ken Nordine – narration
• Fred Katz – cello
• Paul Horn – saxophone, flute, piccolo, clarinet
• John Pisano as "John Asano" – guitar
• Richard Marx – piano
• Jimmy Bond – bass
• Chico Hamilton as "Forest Horn" – drums, bongos, timpani, gong
• Jim Cunningham – sound patterns