How to describe Ken Nordine to the uninitiated? Poet, philospher, musician, announcer, voice-over artist, radio legend. Word jazz was Nordine’s invention. His multi-tracking weirdo stream-of-consciousness, often talking to himself in two voices, was a real innovation in radio. Ken Nordine was a creative genius.
Here’s how his Wikipedia biographical entry begins, “Ken Nordine was an American voice-over and recording artist, best known for his series of word jazz albums. His deep, resonant voice has also been featured in many commercial advertisements and movie trailers. One critic wrote that ‘you may not know Ken Nordine by name or face, but you’ll almost certainly recognize his voice.’”