The Manhattan Transfer
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The Manhattan Transfer is an American vocal group founded in 1969, performing
There have been several incarnations and formations of the Manhattan Transfer, with each edition having different styles, with original member Tim Hauser being the only person to be part of each of them.
The first and original rendition was in the 1960s, consisting of a mostly a capella tinged style; it featured Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, Pat Rosalia, and Gene Pistilli. The second version of the group, formed in 1972, incorporating a more vocal jazz approach, consisted of Hauser, Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Laurel Massé.
The third, and most commercially perceived, formation of the group happened in 1979, after Massé left the group after being badly injured in a car crash and was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. This edition of the Manhattan Transfer performed electronic-styled pop, soul, funk, and rhythmic music, having success in the 1980s.
The group's fourth, and current, edition, since the 1990s, originally consisted of Hauser, Paul, Siegel, and Bentyne, and performs mostly cool and smooth jazz. It also has several rotating touring members, and longtime pianist Yaron Gershovsky accompanied the group on tour and served as music director. Trist Curless from the Los Angeles a cappella group m-pact became a permanent member in October 2014 following Hauser's death.[2]
Early years
In 1969, Tim Hauser formed a vocal group in New York City called The Manhattan Transfer after the novel by John Dos Passos.[3] The group consisted of Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, Pat Rosalia, and Gene Pistilli. This group made one album, Jukin' (Capitol, 1971), which looked at the jazz music of the past as well as rock and country genres unlike the later incarnations of the group.[4] They were not picked up by Capitol Records for a second album, and the group broke up in 1973.
Shortly thereafter, Hauser met
Bentyne and "Birdland"
In 1978, Laurel Massé was in a car crash and dropped out of the group. She was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne.[3][4] The group's next album, Extensions (Atlantic, 1979), produced the hit "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone", a song based on the TV series The Twilight Zone (including an impersonation of Rod Serling's narration from Alan Paul).[6]
Extensions featured a cover version of "
In 1981, the Manhattan Transfer made music history by becoming the first group to win Grammy awards for both popular and jazz categories in the same year. "
Stretching out
In September 1983, the group released the album Bodies and Souls, with an urban-contemporary style which resulted in two R&B chart singles. The first was the No. 2 hit "Spice of Life", which was co-written by former Heatwave member Rod Temperton who had penned several hits for Michael Jackson. The single also reached No. 40 on the US pop chart and No. 19 in the UK. The other single, the ballad "Mystery" (#80 R&B, No. 102 Pop), was later covered by Anita Baker on her 1986 album Rapture.
In 1985, the group released two albums; the first was
For their next album, Brasil (1987), the group headed south to work with Brazilian songwriters and musicians Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Djavan and Gilberto Gil. Brasil won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
The group did not release any studio albums again until 1991, when they signed with the Sony Music label and released The Offbeat of Avenues, featuring original material written or co-written by members of the quartet. Their efforts brought them their 10th Grammy award, for the song "Sassy". This was followed by the release of their first holiday album entitled The Christmas Album in 1992.
Switching back to
Since 2000
The group signed to the
During 2006, the group released The Symphony Sessions, a collection of some of their best-known songs re-recorded with an orchestra, and also The Definitive Pop Collection, a two-disc collection of the group's material from their Atlantic Records period. They also recorded their first original title song for a movie, "Trail of the Screaming Forehead"; and, in late 2006, the group released a new concert DVD, The Christmas Concert, which was broadcast by PBS.
The Chick Corea Songbook, a tribute to the works of that American jazz musician, was released in September 2009. The album features an appearance by Corea himself on the track "Free Samba". Other prominent musicians on this recording are Airto Moreira, Scott Kinsey, Steve Hass, Alex Acuña, Jimmy Earl, John Benitez, and Christian McBride.
In 2011, The Manhattan Transfer worked on an album of previously recorded, but never finished, songs to honor their 40th anniversary. "We are working on a project now that is called The Vaults. Over the years, there are a lot of different songs that we recorded but never finished. We pull out from the archives a lot of these songs and are finishing them," said
Substitutes and fourth line-up
Original member Pat Rosalia died from cancer in July 2011.
In 2011, while receiving treatment for
In September 2013, one of the original members of the group, Erin Dickins, started a Kickstarter campaign to re-record "Java Jive" with the surviving original members. It featured Tim Hauser's scat musings, as well as a vocal arrangement by Marty Nelson, sung by Dickins, Nelson, Hauser and Gene Pistilli. The project was successfully funded on October 9, 2013, and released on the CD Java Jive on Dot Time Records.[9]
Tim Hauser died of cardiac arrest on October 16, 2014. Following Hauser's death, the group announced Curless would replace him.[2]
Gene Pistilli died on December 26, 2017.
Awards and honors
- 1980 "Birdland", Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices, Janis Siegel
- 1980 "Birdland", Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance
- 1981 "Boy from New York City", Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance By A Duo Or Group With Vocal
- 1981 "A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square", Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices, Gene Puerling
- 1981 "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)", Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group
- 1982 "Route 66", Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group
- 1983 "Why Not! (Manhattan Carnival)", Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group
- 1986 Vocalese, Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group
- 1986 "Another Night in Tunisia", Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices, Bobby McFerrin and Cheryl Bentyne, performed by The Manhattan Transfer
- 1989 Brasil, Grammy Award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals
- 1992 "Sassy", Grammy Award for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance, Instrumental
- 1998 Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Discography
Albums
Album | Label | Year | Peak chart positions | Certifications
| |||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [10] |
US Jazz [10] |
US R&B [10] |
UK [11] |
AUS [12] |
NZ [13] | ||||
Jukin' | Capitol | 1971 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
The Manhattan Transfer | Atlantic | 1975 | 33 | — | — | 49 | — | — | |
Coming Out | Atlantic | 1976 | 48 | — | — | 12 | 29 | 18 | |
Pastiche | Atlantic | 1978 | 66 | — | — | 10 | 39 | — |
|
The Manhattan Transfer Live | Atlantic | 1978 | — | — | — | 4 | 71 | 17 |
|
Extensions | Atlantic | 1979 | 55 | — | — | 63 | 91 | 48 | |
Mecca for Moderns | Atlantic | 1981 | 22 | 6 | — | — | 65 | 21 | |
The Best of The Manhattan Transfer | Atlantic | 1981 | 103 | 22 | — | — | 27 | 25 |
|
Bodies and Souls | Atlantic | 1983 | 52 | 10 | 38 | 53 | 75 | 49 | |
Bop Doo-Wopp | Atlantic | 1984 | 127 | 11 | — | — | — | — | |
Vocalese | Atlantic | 1985 | 74 | 2 | — | — | — | 39 | |
Live | Atlantic | 1987 | 187 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Brasil | Atlantic | 1987 | 98 | 2 | — | — | — | — | |
The Offbeat of Avenues | Columbia | 1991 | 179 | 2 | — | — | — | — | |
Anthology: Down in Birdland | Atlantic | 1992 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
The Christmas Album | Columbia | 1992 | 120 | — | — | — | — | — | |
The Very Best of The Manhattan Transfer | Atlantic | 1994 | 157 | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba | Summit | 1994 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Tonin' | Atlantic | 1995 | 123 | — | — | — | — | — | |
Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo | Rhino
|
1996 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Swing | Atlantic | 1997 | — | 1 | — | — | — | — | |
Boy from New York City and Other Hits | Flashback | 1997 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
The Spirit of St. Louis | Atlantic | 2000 | — | 3 | — | — | — | — | |
Couldn't Be Hotter | Telarc | 2003 | — | 12 | — | — | — | — | |
Vibrate | Telarc | 2004 | — | 11 | — | — | — | — | |
An Acapella Christmas | King | 2005 | — | 9 | — | — | — | — | |
The Symphony Sessions | Rhino | 2006 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
The Chick Corea Songbook | Four Quarters | 2009 | — | 10 | — | — | — | — | |
The Junction | BMG | 2018 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
Fifty | Craft Recordings | 2022 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Singles
Year | Title | Peak chart positions | Certifications | |||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
US [10] |
US Adult [10] |
US Dance [10] |
US R&B [10] |
UK
[11] |
AUS [12] |
CAN [18] |
NZ [13] | |||
1975 | "Operator" | 22 | — | — | — | — | 60 | 26 | — | |
1976 | "Tuxedo Junction" | — | — | — | — | 24 | — | — | — | |
1977 | "Chanson D'Amour" | — | — | — | — | 1 | 9 | — | 14 |
|
"Don't Let Go" | — | — | — | — | 32 | — | — | — | ||
1978 | "Walk In Love" | — | — | — | — | 12 | — | — | — | |
"On a Little Street in Singapore" | — | — | — | — | 20 | — | — | — | ||
"Where Did Our Love Go/Je Voulais Te Dire (Que Je T'Attends)" | — | — | — | — | 40 | 27 | — | — | ||
1979 | "Who What Where When Why" | — | — | — | — | 49 | — | — | — | |
"I Kiss Your Hand Madam" | — | — | — | — | — | 54 | — | — | ||
1980 | "Twilight Zone" / "Twilight Tone" | 30 | — | 4 | — | 25 | 28 | — | 15 | |
"Trickle Trickle" | 73 | — | — | — | — | 25 | — | 32 | ||
1981 | "The Boy from New York City" | 7 | 4 | 30 | — | — | 36 | 8 | 2 | |
"Smile Again" | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1982 | "Spies in the Night" | 103 | — | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
" Route 66 "
|
78 | 22 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1983 | "Spice of Life" | 40 | 5 | 29 | 32 | 19 | — | — | — | |
1984 | "Mystery" | 102 | 6 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
"Baby Come Back to Me (The Morse Code of Love)" | 83 | 14 | — | — | — | — | — | — | ||
1987 | "Soul Food to Go (Sina)" | — | 25 | — | — | — | — | — | — | |
1995 | "Too Busy Thinking About My Baby" (with Phil Collins) | — | 27 | — | — | — | — | 58 | — | |
"—" denotes releases that did not chart or were not released in that territory. |
Guest/soundtrack appearances
- Schöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo OST (1979): "Johnny," "Jealous Eyes," "I Kiss Your Hand, Madame" Conducted by Frank Barber/ Produced by Tim Hauser
- A League of Their Own OST (1992): "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street"
- Santa Claus Is Coming To Town" and "It Came Upon The Midnight Clear" as part of a Tool Time Christmas special ("I'm Scheming Of A White Christmas", Season 2).
- Swing Kids OST 1993 "Bei Mir Bist du Schön" was sung by Janis Siegel
- Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King (1995) (Tribute Album) they sing "Smackwater Jack"
- "White Christmas", A Pentatonix Christmas (2016) they sing with Pentatonix
In other media
"Chanson d'Amour" was featured in
References
- ^ "The Manhattan Transfer Group History".
- ^ a b The Manhattan Transfer (November 1, 2013). "Ladies and Gentlemen ... Trist Curless!". Manhattan Transfer Official Site. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
- ^ a b c Weber, Bruce (October 17, 2014). "Tim Hauser, the Founder of the Manhattan Transfer, Dies at 72". The New York Times. Retrieved March 13, 2017.
- ^ a b c d e Bush, John. "The Manhattan Transfer". AllMusic. Retrieved March 11, 2017.
- ISBN 0-14-00-7377-9.
- ^ The introduction of the song is incorrectly attributed in the liner notes to Bernard Herrmann, who wrote the theme used in Season 1 of the series. The more famous Twilight Zone theme that is used in the Manhattan Transfer song (and from season 2 of the TV series onward) was composed by Marius Constant.
- ^ "40 years of harmony – The Manhattan Transfer's Alan Paul". Jazz FM Radio. Archived from the original on April 2, 2012.
- ^ Manhattan Transfer, November 28, 2013. "Ladies and Gentlemen ... Margaret Dorn!". Manhattan Transfer Official Site. Retrieved December 2, 2013.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link) - ^ Dickins Geyelin, Erin. ""Java Jive" Jazz for Foodies". Kickstarter. Retrieved December 1, 2013.
- ^ a b c d e f g "The Manhattan Transfer - Awards". AllMusic. Archived from the original on July 11, 2014. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ ISBN 1-904994-10-5.
- ^ ISBN 0-646-11917-6.
- ^ a b "Discography The Manhattan Transfer". charts.org.nz. Retrieved January 15, 2022.
- ^ "Manhattan Transfer - Manhattan Transfer (album)". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Manhattan Transfer - Pastiche". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Manhattan Transfer - Live". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved January 18, 2022.
- ^ "Kent Music Report No 453 – 28 February 1983 > Platinum Albums 1982 (Continued)". Retrieved December 26, 2022 – via Imgur.com.
- ISBN 9781896594132.
- ^ "Manhattan Transfer - Chanson D'amour". bpi.co.uk. Retrieved January 18, 2022.