Ken Nordine
Play Radio
Listen to Ken Nordine Radio,
featuring artists like Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Kenneth Patchen and more…
-
Search on Spotify
Yes, it scrobbles! Learn more
224,774 plays (10,282 listeners)
Ken Nordine ( January 1920) is an American voiceover and recording artist.
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ken Nordine is the son of an architect. He attended Lane Technical College Prep High School (Chicago) and the University of Chicago. He has three sons with his wife Beryl whom he married in 1946.
Nordine’s deep, resonant voice has been featured on many commercial advertisements. One critic wrote that “you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you’ll almost certainly recognize his voice.”
He initially attracted attention when he recorded the aural vignettes on Word Jazz on Dot in 1957. Word Jazz, Son of Word Jazz (Dot, 1958) and his other albums in this vein feature Nordine’s narration over a cool jazz background. He began performing and recording such albums at the peak of the beat movement and was associated with the poetry-and-jazz movement. Regarded by some as an original hipster, Nordine’s “writings are more akin to Franz Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe” than to other beats. Many of his word jazz tracks feature critiques of societal norms, while some reveal dark, paranoid undercurrents and bizarre, dream-like scenarios.
Nordine was Linda Blair’s vocal coach for her role in The Exorcist, and Word Jazz inspired Tom Waits’ spooky, spoken word-type pieces, such as “9th and Hennepin” and “Frank’s Wild Years” and “What’s He Building?”
Born in Chicago, Illinois, Ken Nordine is the son of an architect. He attended Lane Technical College Prep High School (Chicago) and the University of Chicago. He has three sons with his wife Beryl whom he married in 1946.
Nordine’s deep, resonant voice has been featured on many commercial advertisements. One critic wrote that “you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you’ll almost certainly recognize his voice.”
He initially attracted attention when he recorded the aural vignettes on Word Jazz on Dot in 1957. Word Jazz, Son of Word Jazz (Dot, 1958) and his other albums in this vein feature Nordine’s narration over a cool jazz background. He began performing and recording such albums at the peak of the beat movement and was associated with the poetry-and-jazz movement. Regarded by some as an original hipster, Nordine’s “writings are more akin to Franz Kafka or Edgar Allan Poe” than to other beats. Many of his word jazz tracks feature critiques of societal norms, while some reveal dark, paranoid undercurrents and bizarre, dream-like scenarios.
Nordine was Linda Blair’s vocal coach for her role in The Exorcist, and Word Jazz inspired Tom Waits’ spooky, spoken word-type pieces, such as “9th and Hennepin” and “Frank’s Wild Years” and “What’s He Building?”
Shouts:
26 shouts
Top Albums
-
Colors
Ken NordineBuy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon $100.00
- eBay Search
-
The Best of Word Jazz, Vol. 1
Ken Nordine
Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Best Of Word Jazz
Ken Nordine Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 $8.99
- 7digital $8.99
- iTunes $9.99
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
-
Word Jazz: The Complete 1950s Recordings
Ken Nordine Buy- Download Album
- Amazon MP3 Search
- 7digital Search
- iTunes Search
- Buy Album
- Amazon Search
- eBay Search
Shoutbox
-
Sgarre1 wrote:
Quite literally - on of the most important artists in my life
-
hitbyambulance wrote:
i can't believe he's still alive!
-
branchong wrote:
amazing poet
-
johndarnielle wrote:
I highly approve of Ken Nordine
-
smee85 wrote:
www.youtube.com/watch?v=Xi9EXayf_og
-
pillfeast wrote:
Aren't ya glad ya came?
-
zambrang wrote:
WHAT A G
-
Sanyore wrote:
fat fat fat as a burgundy cat
-
BrightEyedAshes wrote:
I cannot get over how fantastic this is.
-
a-polo wrote:
Does anyone know where I can find the lyrics for "Colors"? I'm not a native English speaker and reading the lyrics as I listen to the record helps me understand better what he's saying.
-
betadron wrote:
Ken Nordine originally prepared over 40 colors, often he picked shades instead of the basic colors. For red i.e. he chose "crimson".
-
gont wrote:
The only missing color on the album is RED. Why is that?
-
otherone71 wrote:
Put some tracks up, Ken! Please? We Love you.
-
llllllxlllllll wrote:
Why are so many people worried about nothingness? There is so little of it.
-
TippinMyStuff wrote:
ken nordine are amazing!!!
-
stayouttahizbiz wrote:
you can't get sneeze off suede...
-
azfad wrote:
the sins of the father are visited upon the son...
-
miss-boner wrote:
yeah
-
ijazzman wrote:
David Bowie has invited Ken to perform at The Kitchen in NYC, 5/16-17 at 8pm. We're doing a feature Doc on Nordine and welcome all feed-back. We'll be taping at the show.
-
HayTerodynius wrote:
Hi-Sonority
Videos
Top Listeners
-
madame-patate
Top Listener
-
gods_pee
Top Listener
-
beccastinks
Top Listener
-
linforcer
Top Listener
Recent Activity
-
kjellalinge and cneedlich added Ken Nordine to their libraries. Sunday morning
-
nooneastern tagged Ken Nordine with ‘solo’. last month
-
penelopescars, Wizenhymer, Spawnhypno and 5 other people added Ken Nordine to their libraries. last month
-
frankjasper connected Ken Nordine to the group _Poetry_. December 2011
-
moodmodifier, neksezoveluka, BrevoortandFan and 3 other people added Ken Nordine to their libraries. December 2011
-
sigmagalator tagged Ken Nordine with beat, poetry, jazz and one other tag. November 2011
-
JasonFBennett, nova81, pasolini_nuc and 4 other people added Ken Nordine to their libraries. November 2011
-
incognita-hood tagged Ken Nordine with headphone music and electro acoustic pleasure drone. October 2011
-
WildOrphan, tgrip, TheMightyBadb and 7 other people added Ken Nordine to their libraries. October 2011
-
SOLOMUSIKA, olicycloholic and xMooMx added Ken Nordine to their libraries. October 2011
Related Journals
-
Top Tri Kralja ( x 3 ) = 9 kraljeva
by Pb_82_Mule |
9 Jun 2011
| 3 comments
-
Yesterday's Bake 004: Close to a Problem
by MHotel |
9 Jun 2009
-
Edgar Allan Poe - Closed on Account of Rabies
by Diecornell |
2 Nov 2008
Groups (10)
-
Tom Waits
4,119 members
-
Does Humor Belong In Music
569 members
-
Chicago Artists
523 members
-
A Museum Of Tonic Obscurities
392 members
-
Incredibly Strange Music
124 members
More Information
- Links
- Labels
