Gene Lees

b. Frederick Eugene Lees, 8 February 1928, Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. After studying music at Hamilton and the Berklee College Of Music in Boston, Massachusetts, Lees developed his writing talent, working in journalism, often as music critic, in both Canada and the USA. Lees has also written many song lyrics, some, like ‘Quiet Nights Of Quiet Stars’ and ‘Yesterday I Heard The Rain’, were originals while others, for bossa nova songs by Antonio Carlos Jobim, he translated from Portuguese. In addition to his work as journalist and lyricist, Lees has also been active in musical education. His journal, Jazzletter, is widely read and respected and books such as Singers And The Song reveal an abiding interest in lyric writing and such diverse jazz artists as Sarah Vaughan and the Clarke-Boland Big Band, all of which is communicated with an able command of language.