Vocalese (album)

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
Vocalese
The Village Recorder, Ocean Way Recording and Bill Schnee Studios (Los Angeles, CA); Craig Harris Music (Studio City, CA); Fantasy Studios (Berkeley, CA); Can-Am Recorders (Tarzana, CA); Clinton Recording Studios (New York City, NY).
GenreVocal jazz
Length45:29
LabelAtlantic
ProducerTim Hauser, Martin Fischer
The Manhattan Transfer chronology
Bop Doo-Wopp
(1984)
Vocalese
(1985)
Live
(1987)

Vocalese is the ninth

Top Jazz Albums and number 74 on the Billboard 200. The album's title Vocalese refers to a style of music that sets lyrics to previously recorded jazz instrumental pieces. The vocals then reproduce the sound and feel of the original instrumentation. Jon Hendricks
, proficient in this art, composed all of the lyrics for this album.

Critical reception

Awards

This album earned the group

Grammy Awards
for:

It also earned Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Male for Bobby McFerrin and Jon Hendricks for "Another Night In Tunisia".

Track listing

  1. "That's Killer Joe" (Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks) – 5:02
  2. "Rambo" (
    J J Johnson
    , Jon Hendricks) – 3:19
  3. "Airegin" (Sonny Rollins) – 3:19
  4. "To You" (Thad Jones) – 3:53
  5. "Meet Benny Bailey" (Quincy Jones, Jon Hendricks) – 3:29
  6. "Another Night in Tunisia" (Dizzy Gillespie, Jon Hendricks, Frank Paparelli) – 4:12
  7. "Ray's Rockhouse" (Ray Charles, Jon Hendricks) – 5:06
  8. "Blee Blop Blues" (Count Basie - Jon Hendricks) – 3:01
  9. "Oh Yes, I Remember Clifford" (Benny Golson, Jon Hendricks) – 3:45
  10. "Sing Joy Spring" (Clifford Brown, Jon Hendricks) – 7:07
  11. "Move" (Denzil Best, Jon Hendricks) – 2:49

Personnel

[2] The Manhattan Transfer

  • Cheryl Bentyne – vocals, soloist (1–3, 5, 8), arrangements (6)
  • Tim Hauser – vocals, soloist (1, 3, 10, 11), arrangements (1)
  • Alan Paul – vocals, soloist (1-4, 9), vocal arrangements (5, 7)
  • Janis Siegel – vocals, soloist (1–3, 8, 10, 11), vocal arrangements (1–3, 8, 10)

Musicians and Guests

  • Yaron Gershovsky – synthesizers (1), arrangements (1), acoustic piano (2, 3, 5), vocal arrangements (5)
  • Casey Young – synthesizer programming (1)
  • Tommy Flanagan – acoustic piano (4)
  • John Barnes – synthesizers (7), Yamaha TX816 (7), Fairlight CMI (7), Synclavier (7), vocoder (7), Linn 9000 (7), arrangements (7)
  • Craig Harris – synthesizer voice (7), programming (7), vocoder programming (7),
    sampling
    (7)
  • McCoy Tyner – acoustic piano (9)
  • Walter Davis, Jr.
    – acoustic piano (10)
  • Dick Hindman – acoustic piano (11)
  • Wayne Johnson – guitars (1, 3, 5), banjo (5)
  • Freddie Green – guitars (2, 8)
  • Ray Brown – bass (2, 8)
  • Alex Blake – bass (3, 5)
  • Richard Davis – bass (4)
  • Ron Carter – bass (9)
  • John Patitucci – bass (10)
  • Marshall Hawkins – bass (11)
  • John Robinson – drums (1)
  • Grady Tate – drums (2, 8, 9)
  • Ralph Humphrey – drums (3, 5, 10, 11)
  • Philly Joe Jones – drums (4)
  • Eric Dixon – saxophone (2, 7)
  • Danny House – saxophone (2)
  • Kenny Hing – saxophone (2, 8)
  • Marshal Royal – saxophone (2, 8)
  • Johnny Williams – saxophone (2, 8)
  • Don Roberts – baritone saxophone (5, 11), tenor saxophone (9)
  • James Moody – tenor sax solo (5)
  • Danny Turner – saxophone (8)
  • Richie Cole – alto sax solo (11)
  • Clarence Banks – trombone (2, 8)
  • Bill Hughes – trombone (2, 8)
  • Charles Loper – trombone (2, 8)
  • Mel Wanzo – trombone (2, 8)
  • Dennis Wilson – arrangements and conductor (2, 8), trombone (9)
  • Sonny Cohn – trumpet (2, 8)
  • Johnny Coles – trumpet (2, 8)
  • Bob Ojeda – trumpet (2)
  • Byron Stripling – trumpet (2, 8)
  • Snooky Young – trumpet (8)
  • Dizzy Gillespie – trumpet solo (10)
  • The Count Basie Orchestra
    – orchestra (2, 8)
  • Thad Jones – music supervisor (2, 8)
  • Dick Reynolds – arrangements (4, 11)
  • Phil Mattson – vocal arrangements (9)
  • The Four Freshmen: Mike Beisner, Bob Flanagan, Autie Goodman and Rod Henley – additional backing vocals (4)
  • Bobby McFerrin – bass vocal (6), vocal percussion (6), vocals (6), vocal arrangements (6)
  • Jon Hendricks – additional backing vocals (6), vocal soloist (7)

Production

  • Producers – Tim Hauser and Martin Fischer
  • Recorded and Mixed by Elliot Scheiner
  • Additional Engineers – Craig Harris, Gary Ladinsky and Brian Malouf.
  • Assistant Engineers – Gene Curtis, Dan Garcia, Steve Katayama, Steve MacMillan, Dan Matovina, Tom Size and Jay Willis.
  • Mixed at Sound Labs Hollywood (Hollywood, CA).
  • Mastered by
    Bernie Grundman Mastering
    (Hollywood, CA).
  • Musical Director – Bud Schaetzle
  • Album Coordination – Ivy Skoff
  • Publishing Coordination – Sue Yahm
  • Art Direction – Fayette Hauser and Nels Israelson
  • Photography – Nels Israelson
  • Management – Brian Avnet

Charts

[3]

  • US Billboard 200 – 74
  • US Jazz Albums (Billboard) – 2

References

  1. ^ "Vocalese - the Manhattan Transfer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  2. ^ "Vocalese - the Manhattan Transfer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.
  3. ^ "Vocalese - the Manhattan Transfer | Songs, Reviews, Credits | AllMusic". AllMusic.

External links