“I’m telling you, man, this cat can SING!”
A solid, big-voiced jazz baritone (à la Johnny Hartman or Billy Eckstine) who has spent years in rock bands, in musical theater and on the folk circuit, E. J. Decker landed in NYC's jazz scene in the early '90s with a distinctive style once described as "biker Gershwin." Critic Scott Yanow notes Decker "has a strong voice touched by that of Billy Eckstine, although he has his own sound."
Raised in a musical household, E. J.'s mother was a pianist and his dad a Big Band-era baritone who worked briefly with Tommy Dorsey's Orchestra and was E. J.'s first vocal coach. Drawn to his dad's big band records, as well as his older brothers' rock and R&B 45s and later their jazz albums, he was also profoundly influenced by the live performers—such as the Dave Brubeck Qrt., Thelonious Monk Qrt., Jimmy Smith Trio, George Wein's Newport All Stars, Alberta Hunter, Duke Ellington, Sammy Davis, Jr. and Oscar Brown, Jr.—that he sought out while still in his teens.
“You have a great sounding voice. You certainly are my taste! I just love your sound”
Today, E. J. glides easily from jazz through pop and standards, rock and folk to '50s R&B and blues, and stands among today's strongest male interpreters of ballads—all while maintaining a consistency of sound and feel that marks it immediately as an E. J. Decker piece. As reviewers and fans alike have pointed out, he definitely has his own sound.
In performance, any given set may contain songs by writers as diverse as Irving Berlin, the Gershwins or Billy Strayhorn. Or just possibly, Tom Paxton, Ivory Joe Hunter, Bob Dylan, Bobby Timmons, Hank Williams, Oscar Brown, Jr. or the Beatles,— or even one of his original compositions—each filtered through E. J.'s singular sensibility.
In every year since 2005, E. J. has produced & appeared inThe September Concert: The Heart of Jazz for 9/11—now in the planning for its tenth year—a coming together of NYC jazz musicians that aims to honor those we lost in the World Trade Center attacks of 2001; to offer the gift of music to further the ongoing healing process for musician and audience alike; and to create an ongoing prayer for peace. Over these last nine years, more than 160 of NYC's top jazz artists have stepped forward at some point to play the emotions of that day "through their horn," determined to "fill the skies with music every Sept. 11."
As can be inferred from his new release, A Job of Work (Tales of the Great Recession), E. J. has been involved in various forms of activism and worldview throughout much of his life. While still in college, he led a 5,000-person demonstration in the city of Philadelphia. In 1983, he served on the event marshal staff for the Martin Luther King, Jr. March on Washington 20th Anniversary restaging in D.C., and was assigned for the event as personal bodyguard to the Rev. Jesse Jackson. Today, E. J. strongly supports the various Occupy movements around the country, dedicating the album's title track, Tom Paxton's "A Job Of Work," to the 99%—and to the millions of long-term unemployed, in particular.
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