ALBUM REVIEW / JAZZ : Wise and Witty, Hendricks Still ‘Boppin’ ’ at Full Speed : JON HENDRICKS, “Boppin’ at the Blue Note”, <i> Telarc</i> **

Recorded during four nights in 1993 at New York’s Blue Note club, this live performance finds singer Jon Hendricks upstaged by his own band, a group of all-stars that includes saxophonists Red Holloway and Benny Golson, trombonist Al Grey and trumpeters Wynton Marsalis and Lew Soloff. While Hendricks’ sense of inventiveness has lost little since his heyday with Lambert, Hendricks and Ross, his voice has suffered the years, here sounding a bit on the sour side when compared to his earlier work.

But at this point in his career, Hendricks has nothing to prove. As a founding champion of vocalese, the improvisational scat-and-lyric style that stands as a forerunner to today’s rap movement, Hendricks is a living legend, and “Boppin’ ” gives a good sense of his lively wit and wisdom, both as vocalist and lyricist.

Still, the most musical moments here come from the instrumentalists. Holloway, Golson and Grey give the date its jump and swing. Marsalis’ solo on “Good Ol’ Lady” cuts a wide swath through the history of jazz, with a special emphasis on its New Orleans roots. Hendricks gives his daughters Michele and Aria a moment in the spotlight, and they turn in solid though not stunning performances.

The surprise of the album is Marsalis’ vocal scat on Hendricks’ upbeat “Everybody’s Boppin’.” It is a more than credible effort that, except for a few moments when the trumpeter struggles with pitch, recalls Hendricks’ best efforts in its rhythmic astuteness, syllabic play and insistent drive. But Hendricks’ following solo and the closing exchange with vocalist Marsalis leaves no doubt as to who’s the king.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good, recommended), four stars (excellent).