The Manhattan Transfer
Encyclopedia
The Manhattan Transfer is an American
vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser
being the only person to be part of both. The group's name comes from John Dos Passos
' 1925 novel Manhattan Transfer
and refers to their New York origins.
, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia. Gene Pistilli, a good friend, soon became an integral component, and composed for and recorded with the group. They contracted with Capitol Records
, recorded several tracks, and during 1971 issued their first album, Jukin'
. The album was later reissued in the UK by EMI
's Music for Pleasure
under the title The Manhattan Transfer and Gene Pistilli Pistilli had been best known for his performing and songwriting collaborations with Terry Cashman
and Tommy West
. This team endured until 1973. According to Hauser, "Gene and I were in two different places. He was more into R&B, and the Memphis
sound, and by then I'd become more interested in jazz and swing..."
with singers Alan Paul
, Janis Siegel
, and Laurel Massé. After performances at Max's Kansas City
, Trude Heller's and Reno Sweeney with Herb Abramson's A-1 Sound engineer Jim Reeves in New York City
, the group developed a cult fan base. Ahmet Ertegün
, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records
, saw them at Reno Sweeney and offered a recording contract. The group's first album for Atlantic was The Manhattan Transfer
in 1975, which included their first successful single, the gospel
tune "Operator". During the summer of 1975, the group were showcased in their own hour-long television variety series on CBS
.
They also gained a following in Europe, where their next two albums, Coming Out
and Pastiche
, brought a string of hits. One was a revival of Wayne Shanklin's "Chanson D'Amour
", which became a number one hit in the UK and Australia in 1977, though it failed to chart in the US. These were followed by a live album, The Manhattan Transfer Live
, which was recorded in the UK and reached the UK Top 5.
Their next album, Extensions
, was released in 1979 and earned the group their second U.S. popular music success, the disco hit "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone", written by Alan Paul
and Jay Graydon
as a tribute to the 1960s CBS television series
created by Rod Serling
. The track also reached the Top 30 in the UK, where the group continued to make several appearances on popular television shows such as The Two Ronnies
.
Extensions also featured a cover of Weather Report
's "Birdland", with lyrics by Jon Hendricks
. One of the most popular jazz recordings of 1980, "Birdland" brought the group their first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance
), and Janis Siegel was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices
for her arrangement
of "Birdland".
During 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. Boy from New York City and Other Hits
(a cover of the 1965 success by The Ad Libs) reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200
and won them the award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" earned them a Grammy for Best Jazz Performance, Duo or Group. Both of these songs appeared on the group's fifth album, Mecca for Moderns
.
During 1982, the group won another Grammy, for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, for its rendition of the classic ode-to-the-road, "Route 66
". The song was featured on the soundtrack to the Burt Reynolds
film Sharky's Machine
.
, with an urban-contemporary style which resulted in two R&B chart singles. The first was the #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 #40 on the US pop chart and #19 in the UK. The other single, the ballad "Mystery" (#80 R&B, #102 Pop), was later recorded by Anita Baker
on her 1986 album Rapture.
In 1985, the group released two albums - the first being Bop Doo-Wopp, an album that included both live and studio recordings. The group's next album, Vocalese received twelve Grammy nominations — at the time making it second only to Michael Jackson
's Thriller
as the most nominated single album ever. The group won in two categories: Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, and Best Arrangement for Voices. This was followed by a live recording of many of these songs titled Live
. This concert, recorded in Japan, was also released on VHS and DVD, later titled as Vocalese Live.
For their next album, 1987's Brasil
, the group headed south to work with Brazil
ian 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 more studio albums 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 Atlantic Records
as their distributor, they released Tonin'
(a collection of R&B and popular successes from the 1960s), The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba
(a children's album), and their 1997 album Swing
which covered 1930s-era swing music. Their final album for the Atlantic company was The Spirit of St. Louis in 2000, dedicated to the music of Louis Armstrong
.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
in 1998.
, a live performance capturing many of the songs from The Spirit of St. Louis.
In 2004, the group released the album Vibrate
. This was another one of their “pastiche” albums, blending original tunes with older ones, pop, jazz, funk, etc. Vibrate featured such notable musicians as bassist Will Lee
, and renowned time keeper Steve Hass
on drums.
They also released (in Japan originally) their second holiday album, An Acapella Christmas
, in 2005. The album was released in the US in 2006.
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 time with Atlantic Records. 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, and was broadcasted by PBS in select locations.
Their band's latest album, The Chick Corea Songbook, is a tribute to the works of American jazz musician Chick Corea
and was released in September 2009. The album features an appearance by Corea himself on the track "Free Samba". Other notable musicians on this recording are Airto Moreira
, Scott Kinsey
, Gary Novak, Steve Hass
, Alex Acuna
, Jimmy Earl
, John Benitez, and Christian McBride
.
As of October 2011, The Manhattan Transfer are finishing an album of previously recorded but never finished songs, to honour 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 Alan Paul
in an interview for Jazz FM radio in Bulgaria
. One of the highlights of the album will be a vocalese version of George and Ira Gershwin’s The Man I Love
, based on an Artie Shaw
and his orchestra performance of the composition, that had been slated for the Swing
album. “I wrote lyrics to Artie Shaw
’s clarinet solo and then to all the other parts underneath. We become the vocal orchestra for Artie Shaw
’s orchestra. The rhythm track was done with Ray Brown
on bass, Yaron Gershovsky – our musical director – on piano, David Hungate
on guitar and Duffy Jackson on drums. It was a wonderful track and we never got to do the vocals. So now we are in the studio putting down the vocals. This is like a dream come true for me because it is such an incredibly beautiful piece of music. After all these years to finally hear it being finished and done, is really wonderful”, said Alan Paul
.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
vocal music group. There have been two manifestations of the group, with Tim Hauser
Tim Hauser
Tim Hauser is an accomplished singer who was a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer.-Early life:He was born in Troy, New York. Hauser, his sister Fayette, and their parents moved to the Jersey Shore when he was seven years old. He lived in Ocean Township, New Jersey and Asbury Park,...
being the only person to be part of both. The group's name comes from John Dos Passos
John Dos Passos
John Roderigo Dos Passos was an American novelist and artist.-Early life:Born in Chicago, Illinois, Dos Passos was the illegitimate son of John Randolph Dos Passos , a distinguished lawyer of Madeiran Portuguese descent, and Lucy Addison Sprigg Madison of Petersburg, Virginia. The elder Dos Passos...
' 1925 novel Manhattan Transfer
Manhattan Transfer (novel)
Manhattan Transfer is a novel by John Dos Passos published in 1925. It focuses on the development of urban life in New York City from the Gilded Age to the Jazz Age as told through a series of overlapping individual stories....
and refers to their New York origins.
Founding
The first manifestation of the group was established during 1969 in New York City by Tim HauserTim Hauser
Tim Hauser is an accomplished singer who was a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer.-Early life:He was born in Troy, New York. Hauser, his sister Fayette, and their parents moved to the Jersey Shore when he was seven years old. He lived in Ocean Township, New Jersey and Asbury Park,...
, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia. Gene Pistilli, a good friend, soon became an integral component, and composed for and recorded with the group. They contracted with Capitol Records
Capitol Records
Capitol Records is a major United States based record label, formerly located in Los Angeles, but operating in New York City as part of Capitol Music Group. Its former headquarters building, the Capitol Tower, is a major landmark near the corner of Hollywood and Vine...
, recorded several tracks, and during 1971 issued their first album, Jukin'
Jukin' (Manhattan Transfer album)
Jukin' is the sole album recorded by the first manifestation of The Manhattan Transfer.Tim Hauser formed the original The Manhattan Transfer with Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, Gene Pistilli, and Pat Rosalia. The team contracted with Capitol Records, and during 1971, issued the album Jukin...
. The album was later reissued in the UK by EMI
EMI
The EMI Group, also known as EMI Music or simply EMI, is a multinational music company headquartered in London, United Kingdom. It is the fourth-largest business group and family of record labels in the recording industry and one of the "big four" record companies. EMI Group also has a major...
's Music for Pleasure
Music for Pleasure (record label)
Music for Pleasure was a record label that issued budget-priced albums of popular and classical music, although the latter were marketed under the Classics for Pleasure name...
under the title The Manhattan Transfer and Gene Pistilli Pistilli had been best known for his performing and songwriting collaborations with Terry Cashman
Terry Cashman
Terry Cashman is a record producer and singer-songwriter, best known for his 1981 hit, "Talkin' Baseball." While the song is well recognized today, it was all but ignored by typical Top 40 radio during its chart life, making only the Billboard Adult Contemporary chart.Cashman was the lead singer...
and Tommy West
Tommy West (producer)
Tommy West is an American record producer and singer-songwriter.-Early career:...
. This team endured until 1973. According to Hauser, "Gene and I were in two different places. He was more into R&B, and the Memphis
Memphis soul
Memphis soul, also known as Memphis Sound, is stylish, funky, uptown soul music that is not as hard-edged as Southern soul. It is a shimmering, sultry style produced in the 1960s and 1970s at Stax and Hi Records in Memphis, Tennessee, featuring melodic unison horn lines, organ, bass, and a driving...
sound, and by then I'd become more interested in jazz and swing..."
Second line-up
The next line-up of the group was formed in 1973 by Tim HauserTim Hauser
Tim Hauser is an accomplished singer who was a member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer.-Early life:He was born in Troy, New York. Hauser, his sister Fayette, and their parents moved to the Jersey Shore when he was seven years old. He lived in Ocean Township, New Jersey and Asbury Park,...
with singers Alan Paul
Alan Paul
Alan Paul is a Grammy Award- winning singer and composer, best known as one of the founding members of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. He played Teen Angel and Johnny Casino in the original Broadway cast of Grease where he introduced the songs "Beauty School Dropout" and "Born to Hand Jive"...
, Janis Siegel
Janis Siegel (singer)
Janis Siegel is a singer with the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer . In 1965 Siegel recorded with a group called Young Generation on Red Bird records. In 1972 the original Manhattan Transfer had disbanded, and founder Tim Hauser re-formed the band with different singers, including Siegel...
, and Laurel Massé. After performances at Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City
Max's Kansas City was a nightclub and restaurant at 213 Park Avenue South, in New York City, which was a gathering spot for musicians, poets, artists and politicians in the 1960s and 1970s.-Origin of name:...
, Trude Heller's and Reno Sweeney with Herb Abramson's A-1 Sound engineer Jim Reeves in New York City
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
, the group developed a cult fan base. Ahmet Ertegün
Ahmet Ertegun
Ahmet Ertegün was a Turkish American musician and businessman, best known as the founder and president of Atlantic Records. He also wrote classic blues and pop songs and served as Chairman of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and museum...
, founder and chairman of Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
, saw them at Reno Sweeney and offered a recording contract. The group's first album for Atlantic was The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer (album)
The Manhattan Transfer is the second album by The Manhattan Transfer. However, it is the first of four albums to be released by the line-up of Tim Hauser, Laurel Massé, Alan Paul and Janis Siegel, and the first to establish the sound and style for which the group would become known...
in 1975, which included their first successful single, the gospel
Gospel music
Gospel music is music that is written to express either personal, spiritual or a communal belief regarding Christian life, as well as to give a Christian alternative to mainstream secular music....
tune "Operator". During the summer of 1975, the group were showcased in their own hour-long television variety series on CBS
CBS
CBS Broadcasting Inc. is a major US commercial broadcasting television network, which started as a radio network. The name is derived from the initials of the network's former name, Columbia Broadcasting System. The network is sometimes referred to as the "Eye Network" in reference to the shape of...
.
They also gained a following in Europe, where their next two albums, Coming Out
Coming Out (Manhattan Transfer album)
Coming Out is the third album by The Manhattan Transfer, released August 19, 1976 on Atlantic Records.On the advice of their manager Aaron Russo, the group downplayed the "nostalgic" tenor of their previous breakthrough album in favor of more contemporary songs...
and Pastiche
Pastiche (Manhattan Transfer album)
Pastiche was released by The Manhattan Transfer on January 19, 1978, by Atlantic Records. This was the last studio album recorded with Laurel Massé, who ended her association with the group later that year....
, brought a string of hits. One was a revival of Wayne Shanklin's "Chanson D'Amour
Chanson D'Amour
"Chanson D'Amour" is a popular song written by Wayne Shanklin which was a Top Ten hit in 1958 for Art and Dotty Todd; a remake by the Manhattan Transfer was an international hit - #1 in the UK - in 1977....
", which became a number one hit in the UK and Australia in 1977, though it failed to chart in the US. These were followed by a live album, The Manhattan Transfer Live
The Manhattan Transfer Live
The Manhattan Transfer Live was recorded by The Manhattan Transfer live at Manchester on 23 April 1978, Bristol on 28 April 1978, and the Hammersmith Odeon Theatre, London, on 2 May 1978. The album was produced by Tim Hauser and Janis Siegel...
, which was recorded in the UK and reached the UK Top 5.
Third line-up and journey into jazz
Soon after that album was recorded, during 1978, Laurel Massé was badly injured in a car accident and was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. The line-up has remained the same since then.Their next album, Extensions
Extensions (Manhattan Transfer album)
Extensions was released by The Manhattan Transfer on October 31, 1979, on the Atlantic Records label.This album began a new era for the group: This album was the first one with Cheryl Bentyne, who replaced Laurel Massé. It was also the first album that contained songs that were hits in both the...
, was released in 1979 and earned the group their second U.S. popular music success, the disco hit "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone", written by Alan Paul
Alan Paul
Alan Paul is a Grammy Award- winning singer and composer, best known as one of the founding members of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. He played Teen Angel and Johnny Casino in the original Broadway cast of Grease where he introduced the songs "Beauty School Dropout" and "Born to Hand Jive"...
and Jay Graydon
Jay Graydon
Jay Graydon is a Los Angeles songwriter, recording artist, guitarist, singer, producer, arranger, and recording engineer. He is the winner of two Grammy Awards with twelve Grammy nominations, among them the title "Producer of the Year" and "Best Engineered Recording". Jay Graydon has mastered many...
as a tribute to the 1960s CBS television series
The Twilight Zone
The Twilight Zone is an American television anthology series created by Rod Serling. Each episode is a mixture of self-contained drama, psychological thriller, fantasy, science fiction, suspense, or horror, often concluding with a macabre or unexpected twist...
created by Rod Serling
Rod Serling
Rodman Edward "Rod" Serling was an American screenwriter, novelist, television producer, and narrator best known for his live television dramas of the 1950s and his science fiction anthology TV series, The Twilight Zone. Serling was active in politics, both on and off the screen and helped form...
. The track also reached the Top 30 in the UK, where the group continued to make several appearances on popular television shows such as The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies
The Two Ronnies is a British sketch show that aired on BBC1 from 1971 to 1987. It featured the double act of Ronnie Barker and Ronnie Corbett, the "Two Ronnies" of the title.-Origins:...
.
Extensions also featured a cover of Weather Report
Weather Report
Weather Report was an American jazz-rock band of the 1970s and early 1980s. The band was co-led by the Austrian-born keyboard player Joe Zawinul and the American saxophonist Wayne Shorter...
's "Birdland", with lyrics by Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks
Jon Hendricks is an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is considered one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and replaces many instruments with vocalists...
. One of the most popular jazz recordings of 1980, "Birdland" brought the group their first Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance
Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance
The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance was an award presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to recording artists for works containing quality jazz fusion performances...
), and Janis Siegel was awarded the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices
Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices
The Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices was awarded from 1977 to 1986. From 1977 to 1981 it was called the Grammy Award for Best Arrangement for Voices...
for her arrangement
Arrangement
The American Federation of Musicians defines arranging as "the art of preparing and adapting an already written composition for presentation in other than its original form. An arrangement may include reharmonization, paraphrasing, and/or development of a composition, so that it fully represents...
of "Birdland".
During 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. Boy from New York City and Other Hits
Boy from New York City and Other Hits
Boy from New York City and Other Hits is a compilation album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1997 on the Flashback Records label. This album was released as part of a series of compilations of original artist recordings at a reduced price....
(a cover of the 1965 success by The Ad Libs) reached the Top 10 on the Billboard 200
Billboard 200
The Billboard 200 is a ranking of the 200 highest-selling music albums and EPs in the United States, published weekly by Billboard magazine. It is frequently used to convey the popularity of an artist or groups of artists...
and won them the award for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal, and "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)" earned them a Grammy for Best Jazz Performance, Duo or Group. Both of these songs appeared on the group's fifth album, Mecca for Moderns
Mecca for Moderns
Mecca For Moderns is the sixth album by The Manhattan Transfer. It was released in 1981 on the Atlantic records label.This album was the highest charting album to date for the group, peaking on Billboard Magazine's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart at #22...
.
During 1982, the group won another Grammy, for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, for its rendition of the classic ode-to-the-road, "Route 66
Route 66 (song)
" Route 66", often rendered simply as "Route 66", is a popular song and rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. It was first recorded in the same year by Nat King Cole, and was subsequently covered by many artists including Chuck Berry in 1961, The Rolling...
". The song was featured on the soundtrack to the Burt Reynolds
Burt Reynolds
Burton Leon "Burt" Reynolds, Jr. is an American actor. Some of his memorable roles include Bo 'Bandit' Darville in Smokey and the Bandit, Lewis Medlock in Deliverance, Bobby "Gator" McCluskey in White Lightning and sequel Gator, Paul Crewe and Coach Nate Scarborough in The Longest Yard and its...
film Sharky's Machine
Sharky's Machine (film)
Sharky's Machine is a 1981 motion picture directed by Burt Reynolds, who stars in the title role. The movie is an adaptation of William Diehl's first novel Sharky's Machine , with a screenplay by Gerald Di Pego....
.
Stretching out
In September 1983, the group released the album Bodies and SoulsBodies and Souls
Bodies And Souls was released in September 1983, by The Manhattan Transfer on the Atlantic records label.This album took the Manhattan Transfer in a different direction from their previous releases, offering a new, revised style of their music. There were several collaborations on this album,...
, with an urban-contemporary style which resulted in two R&B chart singles. The first was the #2 hit "Spice of Life", which was co-written by former Heatwave
Heatwave (band)
Heatwave was an international funk/disco musical band featuring Americans Johnnie Wilder, Jr. and Keith Wilder of Dayton, Ohio, Englishman Rod Temperton , Swiss Mario Mantese , Czechoslovak Ernest "Bilbo" Berger , Jamaican Eric Johns and Briton Roy Carter .They were known for their successful...
member Rod Temperton
Rod Temperton
Rodney Lynn "Rod" Temperton is an English songwriter, record producer and musician most famous for writing a number of songs performed by Michael Jackson, including the title track of Jackson's Thriller, the biggest-selling album of all time.-Biography:As Temperton remembers music was in his bones...
who had penned several hits for Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
. The single also reached #40 on the US pop chart and #19 in the UK. The other single, the ballad "Mystery" (#80 R&B, #102 Pop), was later recorded by Anita Baker
Anita Baker
Anita Baker is an American R&B/soul jazz singer-songwriter. To date, Baker has won eight Grammy Awards, and has four platinum albums and two gold albums to her credit....
on her 1986 album Rapture.
In 1985, the group released two albums - the first being Bop Doo-Wopp, an album that included both live and studio recordings. The group's next album, Vocalese received twelve Grammy nominations — at the time making it second only to Michael Jackson
Michael Jackson
Michael Joseph Jackson was an American recording artist, entertainer, and businessman. Referred to as the King of Pop, or by his initials MJ, Jackson is recognized as the most successful entertainer of all time by Guinness World Records...
's Thriller
Thriller (album)
Thriller is the sixth studio album by American recording artist Michael Jackson. It was released on November 30, 1982, by Epic Records as the follow-up to Jackson's critically and commercially successful 1979 album Off the Wall...
as the most nominated single album ever. The group won in two categories: Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Duo or Group, and Best Arrangement for Voices. This was followed by a live recording of many of these songs titled Live
Live (1987 Manhattan Transfer album)
Live is the ninth album released by The Manhattan Transfer. It was recorded live at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall in Japan on 20 & 21 February 1986...
. This concert, recorded in Japan, was also released on VHS and DVD, later titled as Vocalese Live.
For their next album, 1987's Brasil
Brasil (Manhattan Transfer album)
Brasil was The Manhattan Transfer's tenth album. It was released in 1987 on Atlantic recordsThis album was a new foray for the group into Brazilian music. During the recording sessions they worked with many songwriters, including Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Djavan, and Atlantic records Jazz...
, the group headed south to work with Brazil
Brazil
Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
ian songwriters and musicians Ivan Lins
Ivan Lins
Ivan Guimarães Lins is a Latin Grammy winning Brazilian musician. He has been an active performer and songwriter of Brazilian popular music and jazz for over 30 years. His first hit, Madalena, was recorded by Elis Regina in 1970. Beyond his own performance of his compositions, Simone is his most...
, Milton Nascimento
Milton Nascimento
-Biography:Nascimento's mother was the maid Maria Nascimento. As a baby, Milton Nascimento was adopted by his mother's former employers: the couple Josino Brito Campos, a banker employee, mathematics teacher and electronic technician; and Lília Silva Campos, a music teacher and choir singer...
, Djavan
Djavan
Djavan is a Brazilian singer/songwriter, Djavan combines traditional Brazilian rhythms with popular music drawn from the Americas, Europe and Africa. He can arguably be categorized in any of the following musical genres: Música Popular Brasileira , samba, or Latin dance...
and Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Gil
Gilberto Passos Gil Moreira , better known as Gilberto Gil or , is a Brazilian singer, guitarist, and songwriter, known for both his musical innovation and political commitment...
. Brasil won a Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocal.
The group did not release any more studio albums until 1991, when they signed with the Sony Music label and released The Offbeat of Avenues
The Offbeat of Avenues
The Offbeat Of Avenues was the twelfth album released by The Manhattan Transfer on August 13, 1991 on the Columbia Records label.This album is the first of two albums for Columbia Records...
, 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
The Christmas Album (Manhattan Transfer album)
The Christmas Album was the fourteenth album of The Manhattan Transfer, released in 1992 on the Columbia Records label.This album was co-produced by Tim Hauser and Johnny Mandel...
in 1992.
Switching back to Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records
Atlantic Records is an American record label best known for its many recordings of rhythm and blues, rock and roll, and jazz...
as their distributor, they released Tonin'
Tonin'
Tonin' is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer on the Atlantic Records label in 1995. The term "tonin'" is associated with the vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960's. The songs on this album are favorites of the The Manhattan Transfer's from that era...
(a collection of R&B and popular successes from the 1960s), The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba
The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba
The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby The Tuba is a children's studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1995 on the Atlantic Records label. It features music by George Kleinsinger and stories by Paul Tripp...
(a children's album), and their 1997 album Swing
Swing (Manhattan Transfer album)
Swing is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1997 on the Atlantic Records label. This album is a collection of 1930's and 1940s swing music with The Manhattan Transfer's jazz twist.-Track listing:-Guest artists:...
which covered 1930s-era swing music. Their final album for the Atlantic company was The Spirit of St. Louis in 2000, dedicated to the music of Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong
Louis Armstrong , nicknamed Satchmo or Pops, was an American jazz trumpeter and singer from New Orleans, Louisiana....
.
The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame
Vocal Group Hall of Fame
The Vocal Group Hall of Fame was organized to honor outstanding vocal groups throughout the world. It is headquartered in Sharon, Pennsylvania, United States. It includes a theater and a museum....
in 1998.
Recent activity
The group signed to the Telarc label in 2003 to release Couldn't Be HotterCouldn't Be Hotter
Couldn’t Be Hotter is a live album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 2004 on the Telarc label. This is their third all-live album with Cheryl Bentyne. It was recorded during a tour of Japan over two nights at Orchestra Hall in Tokyo.-Reviews:...
, a live performance capturing many of the songs from The Spirit of St. Louis.
In 2004, the group released the album Vibrate
Vibrate (Manhattan Transfer album)
Vibrate is an album released by The Manhattan Transfer on September 28, 2004 on the Telarc label.The album is available in three formats: Super Audio CD, CD and MP3 Download.-Track listing:# Walkin' in N.Y...
. This was another one of their “pastiche” albums, blending original tunes with older ones, pop, jazz, funk, etc. Vibrate featured such notable musicians as bassist Will Lee
Will Lee
Will Lee was an American actor best known for playing the store proprietor Mr. Hooper on Sesame Street, from the show's debut in 1969 until his death in 1982.-Early career:...
, and renowned time keeper Steve Hass
Steve Hass
Steve Hass is a professional studio/touring drummer and producer who has worked with such artists as Cher, John Scofield, The Manhattan Transfer, Ravi Coltrane, Miri Ben-Ari, Christian McBride, Danillo Perez, John Patitucci, Richard Bona, Wayne Krantz, The BBC Big Band, Suzanne Vega, Jennifer...
on drums.
They also released (in Japan originally) their second holiday album, An Acapella Christmas
An Acapella Christmas
An Acapella Christmas is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 2005 on the King Records label. The album was initially released in Japan and was later released in the U.S...
, in 2005. The album was released in the US in 2006.
During 2006, the group released The Symphony Sessions
The Symphony Sessions (Manhattan Transfer album)
The Symphony Sessions is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer on October 3, 2006 on the King Records label.-Track listing:-External links:*...
, 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 time with Atlantic Records. 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, and was broadcasted by PBS in select locations.
Their band's latest album, The Chick Corea Songbook, is a tribute to the works of American jazz musician Chick Corea
Chick Corea
Armando Anthony "Chick" Corea is an American jazz pianist, keyboardist, and composer.Many of his compositions are considered jazz standards. As a member of Miles Davis' band in the 1960s, he participated in the birth of the electric jazz fusion movement. In the 1970s he formed Return to Forever...
and was released in September 2009. The album features an appearance by Corea himself on the track "Free Samba". Other notable musicians on this recording are Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira
Airto Moreira is a Brazilian jazz drummer and percussionist. Airto is married to jazz singer Flora Purim, and their daughter Diana Moreira is also a singer. He currently resides in Los Angeles.-Biography:...
, Scott Kinsey
Scott Kinsey
Scott Kinsey is a keyboardist best known for his work with the jazz fusion group Tribal Tech and for his contributions to soundtracks for major motion pictures, notably Ocean's Eleven and Ocean's Twelve...
, Gary Novak, Steve Hass
Steve Hass
Steve Hass is a professional studio/touring drummer and producer who has worked with such artists as Cher, John Scofield, The Manhattan Transfer, Ravi Coltrane, Miri Ben-Ari, Christian McBride, Danillo Perez, John Patitucci, Richard Bona, Wayne Krantz, The BBC Big Band, Suzanne Vega, Jennifer...
, Alex Acuna
Alex Acuña
Alejandro Neciosup Acuña aka Alex Acuña is a Peruvian drummer and percussionist, in the Afro-Cuban jazz style.Born in Pativilca, Peru, Acuña played in local bands from the age of ten, and moved to Lima as a teenager. At the age of eighteen he joined the band of Perez Prado, and in 1967 he moved...
, Jimmy Earl
Jimmy Earl
Jimmy Earl is an American jazz musician and composer. He has released two studio albums and recorded extensively. He has toured the world with major artists. He is ranked #22 on the DigitalDreamDoor list of greatest fusion bassists...
, John Benitez, and Christian McBride
Christian McBride
Christian McBride is an American jazz bassist. His father, Lee Smith, and his great uncle, Howard Cooper, are well known Philadelphia bassists who served as McBride's early mentors...
.
As of October 2011, The Manhattan Transfer are finishing an album of previously recorded but never finished songs, to honour 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 Alan Paul
Alan Paul
Alan Paul is a Grammy Award- winning singer and composer, best known as one of the founding members of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. He played Teen Angel and Johnny Casino in the original Broadway cast of Grease where he introduced the songs "Beauty School Dropout" and "Born to Hand Jive"...
in an interview for Jazz FM radio in Bulgaria
Jazz FM (Bulgaria)
Radio Jazz FM is a Bulgarian jazz music radio station, launched in 2001. It is part of BTV Media Group owned by Central European Media Enterprises. From 2001 to 2006 it aired in Plovdiv, Varna, Burgas, Blagoevgrad, Ruse, Stara Zagora and Sofia. From its first years it aired special projects with...
. One of the highlights of the album will be a vocalese version of George and Ira Gershwin’s The Man I Love
The Man I Love (song)
"The Man I Love" is a popular standard, with music by George Gershwin and lyrics by his brother Ira. Originally part of the 1924 score for the Gershwin government satire Lady, Be Good as "The Girl I Love", the song was deleted from the show as well as from both the 1927 anti-war satire Strike Up...
, based on an Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
and his orchestra performance of the composition, that had been slated for the Swing
Swing (Manhattan Transfer album)
Swing is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1997 on the Atlantic Records label. This album is a collection of 1930's and 1940s swing music with The Manhattan Transfer's jazz twist.-Track listing:-Guest artists:...
album. “I wrote lyrics to Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
’s clarinet solo and then to all the other parts underneath. We become the vocal orchestra for Artie Shaw
Artie Shaw
Arthur Jacob Arshawsky , better known as Artie Shaw, was an American jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader. He was also the author of both fiction and non-fiction writings....
’s orchestra. The rhythm track was done with Ray Brown
Ray Brown (musician)
Raymond Matthews Brown was an American jazz double bassist.-Biography:Ray Brown was born in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, and had piano lessons from the age of eight. After noticing how many pianists attended his high school, he thought of taking up the trombone, but was unable to afford one...
on bass, Yaron Gershovsky – our musical director – on piano, David Hungate
David Hungate
David Hungate is a bass player noted as a member of Los Angeles pop-rock band Toto from 1977-1982. Boz Scaggs's Silk Degrees album of 1976 included Hungate and several other future members of Toto...
on guitar and Duffy Jackson on drums. It was a wonderful track and we never got to do the vocals. So now we are in the studio putting down the vocals. This is like a dream come true for me because it is such an incredibly beautiful piece of music. After all these years to finally hear it being finished and done, is really wonderful”, said Alan Paul
Alan Paul
Alan Paul is a Grammy Award- winning singer and composer, best known as one of the founding members of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. He played Teen Angel and Johnny Casino in the original Broadway cast of Grease where he introduced the songs "Beauty School Dropout" and "Born to Hand Jive"...
.
Albums
| Album | Date released | Charts |
|---|---|---|
| Jukin' | 1971 | US #202 |
| The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer (album) The Manhattan Transfer is the second album by The Manhattan Transfer. However, it is the first of four albums to be released by the line-up of Tim Hauser, Laurel Massé, Alan Paul and Janis Siegel, and the first to establish the sound and style for which the group would become known... |
1975 | US #33, UK #49 (1977 release) |
| Coming Out Coming Out (Manhattan Transfer album) Coming Out is the third album by The Manhattan Transfer, released August 19, 1976 on Atlantic Records.On the advice of their manager Aaron Russo, the group downplayed the "nostalgic" tenor of their previous breakthrough album in favor of more contemporary songs... |
1976 | US #48, UK #12 |
| Pastiche Pastiche (Manhattan Transfer album) Pastiche was released by The Manhattan Transfer on January 19, 1978, by Atlantic Records. This was the last studio album recorded with Laurel Massé, who ended her association with the group later that year.... |
1978 | US #66, UK #10 |
| The Manhattan Transfer Live The Manhattan Transfer Live The Manhattan Transfer Live was recorded by The Manhattan Transfer live at Manchester on 23 April 1978, Bristol on 28 April 1978, and the Hammersmith Odeon Theatre, London, on 2 May 1978. The album was produced by Tim Hauser and Janis Siegel... |
UK #4 | |
| Extensions Extensions (Manhattan Transfer album) Extensions was released by The Manhattan Transfer on October 31, 1979, on the Atlantic Records label.This album began a new era for the group: This album was the first one with Cheryl Bentyne, who replaced Laurel Massé. It was also the first album that contained songs that were hits in both the... |
1979 | US #55, UK #63 |
| Mecca for Moderns Mecca for Moderns Mecca For Moderns is the sixth album by The Manhattan Transfer. It was released in 1981 on the Atlantic records label.This album was the highest charting album to date for the group, peaking on Billboard Magazine's Top Pop Catalog Albums chart at #22... |
1981 | US #22 |
| The Best of the Manhattan Transfer The Best of the Manhattan Transfer The Best Of The Manhattan Transfer was released in 1981 on the Atlantic Records label by The Manhattan Transfer for the holiday season. It contained the "best of" their hits from their early Atlantic years... |
US #103 | |
| Bodies and Souls Bodies and Souls Bodies And Souls was released in September 1983, by The Manhattan Transfer on the Atlantic records label.This album took the Manhattan Transfer in a different direction from their previous releases, offering a new, revised style of their music. There were several collaborations on this album,... |
1983 | US #57, UK #53 |
| Bop Doo-Wopp | 1985 | US #127 |
| Vocalese | US #74 | |
| Live Live (1987 Manhattan Transfer album) Live is the ninth album released by The Manhattan Transfer. It was recorded live at the Nakano Sun Plaza Hall in Japan on 20 & 21 February 1986... |
1987 | US #187 |
| Brasil Brasil (Manhattan Transfer album) Brasil was The Manhattan Transfer's tenth album. It was released in 1987 on Atlantic recordsThis album was a new foray for the group into Brazilian music. During the recording sessions they worked with many songwriters, including Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento, Djavan, and Atlantic records Jazz... |
US #98 | |
| The Offbeat of Avenues The Offbeat of Avenues The Offbeat Of Avenues was the twelfth album released by The Manhattan Transfer on August 13, 1991 on the Columbia Records label.This album is the first of two albums for Columbia Records... |
1991 | US #179 |
| The Christmas Album The Christmas Album (Manhattan Transfer album) The Christmas Album was the fourteenth album of The Manhattan Transfer, released in 1992 on the Columbia Records label.This album was co-produced by Tim Hauser and Johnny Mandel... |
1992 | US #120 |
| Anthology: Down In Birdland Anthology: Down in Birdland Anthology: Down In Birdland was an anthology 2-CD album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1992 on the Rhino Records label. It was the first album released by the group on this label.... |
||
| The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer The Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer The Very Best Of The Manhattan Transfer is a compilation album of The Manhattan Transfer released in 1994 on the Atlantic Records label.This album is a selection of the core songs of the group, spanning more than 20 years.-Track listing:... |
1994 | US #157 |
| The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby The Tuba is a children's studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1995 on the Atlantic Records label. It features music by George Kleinsinger and stories by Paul Tripp... |
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| Tonin' Tonin' Tonin' is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer on the Atlantic Records label in 1995. The term "tonin'" is associated with the vocal groups of the 1950s and 1960's. The songs on this album are favorites of the The Manhattan Transfer's from that era... |
1995 | US #123 |
| Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo is the third live album released by The Manhattan Transfer. The title is a shortening of , the Japanese transliteration of the band's name. The songs were recorded during their 1983 Japan tour to promote their album Bodies and Souls at Tokyo's Nakano Sun Theater... |
1996 | |
| Swing Swing (Manhattan Transfer album) Swing is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1997 on the Atlantic Records label. This album is a collection of 1930's and 1940s swing music with The Manhattan Transfer's jazz twist.-Track listing:-Guest artists:... |
1997 | |
| Boy From New York City And Other Hits Boy from New York City and Other Hits Boy from New York City and Other Hits is a compilation album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 1997 on the Flashback Records label. This album was released as part of a series of compilations of original artist recordings at a reduced price.... |
||
| The Spirit of St. Louis | 2000 | |
| Couldn't Be Hotter Couldn't Be Hotter Couldn’t Be Hotter is a live album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 2004 on the Telarc label. This is their third all-live album with Cheryl Bentyne. It was recorded during a tour of Japan over two nights at Orchestra Hall in Tokyo.-Reviews:... |
2003 | |
| Vibrate | 2004 | |
| An Acapella Christmas An Acapella Christmas An Acapella Christmas is a studio album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 2005 on the King Records label. The album was initially released in Japan and was later released in the U.S... |
2005 | |
| The Symphony Sessions | 2006 | |
| The Definitive Pop Collection | ||
| The Chick Corea Songbook | 2009 |
Singles
| Year | Song | US Hot 100 Billboard Hot 100 The Billboard Hot 100 is the United States music industry standard singles popularity chart issued weekly by Billboard magazine. Chart rankings are based on radio play and sales; the tracking-week for sales begins on Monday and ends on Sunday, while the radio play tracking-week runs from Wednesday... |
U.S. AC | UK Singles Chart UK Singles Chart The UK Singles Chart is compiled by The Official Charts Company on behalf of the British record-industry. The full chart contains the top selling 200 singles in the United Kingdom based upon combined record sales and download numbers, though some media outlets only list the Top 40 or the Top 75 ... |
Canada Canadian Singles Chart The Canadian Singles Chart is currently compiled by the U.S.-based music sales tracking company, Nielsen SoundScan . The chart is compiled every Wednesday, and is published by Jam! Canoe on Thursdays.... |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1975 | "Operator" | 22 | 34 | - | 26 |
| 1976 | "Tuxedo Junction Tuxedo Junction "Tuxedo Junction" is a song co-written by Birmingham, Alabama composer Erskine Hawkins and saxophonist and arranger Bill Johnson. Julian Dash is also credited for the music. The song was introduced by Hawkins's orchestra. Lyrics were by Buddy Feyne... " |
- | - | 24 | - |
| 1977 | "Chanson D'Amour Chanson D'Amour "Chanson D'Amour" is a popular song written by Wayne Shanklin which was a Top Ten hit in 1958 for Art and Dotty Todd; a remake by the Manhattan Transfer was an international hit - #1 in the UK - in 1977.... " |
- | 16 | 1 | - |
| "Don't Let Go" | - | - | 32 | - | |
| 1978 | "Walk In Love" | - | - | 12 | |
| "On a Little Street in Singapore" | - | - | 20 | - | |
| "Where Did Our Love Go Where Did Our Love Go "Where Did Our Love Go" is a 1964 song recorded by The Supremes for the Motown label.Written and produced by Motown's main production team Holland–Dozier–Holland, "Where Did Our Love Go" was the first single by the Supremes to go to the number-one position on the Billboard Hot 100 pop singles chart... /Je Voulais Te Dire (Que Je T'Attends)" |
- | - | 40 | ||
| 1979 | "Who What Where When Why" | - | - | 49 | - |
| 1980 | "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" | 30 | - | 25 | - |
| "Trickle Trickle" | 73 | - | - | - | |
| 1981 | "The Boy from New York City The Boy from New York City "The Boy from New York City" is a song by American soul group The Ad Libs, released as their first single in 1965. Produced by Jerry Leiber and Mike Stoller, the song peaked at #8 on the U.S. Billboard Hot 100 on the chart week of February 27, 1965... " |
7 | 4 | - | 8 |
| "Smile Again" | - | 41 | - | - | |
| 1982 | "Spies in the Night" | 103 | - | - | - |
| "Route 66 Route 66 (song) " Route 66", often rendered simply as "Route 66", is a popular song and rhythm and blues standard, composed in 1946 by American songwriter Bobby Troup. It was first recorded in the same year by Nat King Cole, and was subsequently covered by many artists including Chuck Berry in 1961, The Rolling... " |
78 | 22 | - | - | |
| 1983 | "Spice of Life" | 40 | 5 | 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 Phil Collins Philip David Charles "Phil" Collins, LVO is an English singer-songwriter, drummer, pianist and actor best known as a drummer and vocalist for British progressive rock group Genesis and as a solo artist.... ) |
- | 27 | - |
Guest/soundtrack appearances
- "Schöner Gigolo, armer GigoloSchöner Gigolo, armer GigoloSchöner Gigolo, armer Gigolo is a 1978 film directed by David Hemmings and starring David Bowie. Set in post-World War I Berlin, it also featured Sydne Rome, Kim Novak and, in her last screen appearance, Marlene Dietrich...
" OST (1979): "Johnny," "Jealous Eyes," "I Kiss Your Hand, Madame" Conducted by Frank Barber/ Produced by Tim Hauser - A League of Their OwnA League of Their OwnA League of Their Own is a 1992 American comedy-drama film that tells a fictionalized account of the real-life All-American Girls Professional Baseball League . Directed by Penny Marshall, the film stars Geena Davis, Lori Petty, Tom Hanks, Madonna, and Rosie O'Donnell...
OST (1992): "Choo Choo Ch'Boogie" and "On the Sunny Side of the Street" - Home Improvement (1992): Sing "Santa Claus Is Coming To TownSanta Claus Is Coming to Town"Santa Claus is Coming to Town" is a Christmas song. It was written by John Frederick Coots and Haven Gillespie, and was first sung on Eddie Cantor's radio show in November 1934....
" 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 KidsSwing Kids (film)Swing Kids is a film produced in 1993, directed by Thomas Carter and starring Christian Bale, Robert Sean Leonard and Kenneth Branagh. The runtime is approximately 112 minutes. The film is considered as being part of the Lindy Hop revival of the 1980s and 1990s...
OST 1993 "Bei Mir Bist Du Shoen" was sung by Janis Siegel - Tapestry Revisited: A Tribute to Carole King (1995) (Tribute Album) they sing 'Smackwater Jack'