Cheryl Bentyne - The Cole Porter Song Book

Styles: Vocal, Swing
Year: 2009
Time: 55:34
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Size: 127,8 MB
Art: Front

(5:18) 1. Love For Sale
(3:55) 2. It's De-Lovely
(3:16) 3. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(4:10) 4. It's All Right With Me
(4:18) 5. Night And Day / Find Me A Primitive Man
(3:24) 6. I Love Paris
(3:39) 7. All Of You
(6:44) 8. I Concentrate On You
(3:06) 9. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(5:47) 10. Everytime We Say Goodbye
(3:36) 11. Begin The Beguine
(3:40) 12. What Is This Thing Called Love?
(2:20) 13. Just One Of Those Things
(2:14) 14. Let's Misbehave

While much of the world knows Cheryl Bentyne as one-quarter of the multi-Grammy-winning Manhattan Transfer, this compelling vocalist has a story all her own - one that includes a solo career that encompasses a variety of musical styles.

Born and raised near Seattle, Washington, Bentyne was exposed to music at a very early age. Her father, a jazz clarinetist and bandleader, held his band's rehearsals at the family's home. It wasn't long before Cheryl was singing in her dad's band. After high school, she performed in Seattle area coffee houses where she met and joined a regional group called The New Deal Rhythm Band. The band combined campy comedy numbers with improvisation and “theatrical” swing. The New Deal served as a training ground for Bentyne to sharpen her performance technique and develop her own distinct style.

While on tour with The New Deal, Bentyne caught the attention of a talent agent who assured her that her singing ability could support a solo career and encouraged her to assemble material for her own show. Within a few months she moved to Los Angeles and was booked regularly at such legendary clubs as the Troubadour and the Bla-Bla Cafe.

In the spring of 1979, Bentyne’s manager told her about an audition that was to change her life. The Manhattan Transfer was searching for a new singer to replace the departing Lauren Masse. What they were looking for seemed like an impossible combination at the time - a soprano who was gifted and agile enough to immediately blend with the group’s unique four-part harmony sound, and yet who also possessed a strong individual musical personality which would contribute to the group's evolution. But Bentyne accomplished the impossible: she landed the job and made a vocal contribution that was immediate and decisive. The Manhattan Transfer won its first Grammy, for “Birdland,” a track from the 1979 album, Extensions (Best Jazz Fusion Performance). Since then, the Transfer has scored ten more Grammys.

Bentyne has sung some of the most memorable solos in the Transfer's repertoire: “Good-bye Love,” Benny Goodman's solo on “Down South Camp Meeting” (both on the 1983 release, Bodies and Souls) and “Meet Benny Bailey” (on their landmark 1985 recording, Vocalese). She won a Grammy (which she shares with Bobby McFerrin) for her arrangement of “Another Night In Tunisia” (also on Vocalese). Her hot performance in the video and single release “So You Say” (from Brasil, 1987) helped broaden the Transfer’s audience via frequent appearances on BET. She also wrote and co-wrote tracks for the Transfer’s 1992 release, The Offbeat of Avenues, including the Grammy winning “Sassy.”

But Bentyne has maintained a solid solo career separate and apart from her work with the world-famous vocal quartet. In 1988, she appeared on bassist Rob Wasserman’s highly acclaimed Duets album. Four years later, she released her solo debut album, Something Cool, a tribute to June Christy and other jazz singers of the 1950s.

Beyond the recording studio and performance stage, Bentyne has also dabbled in recording for motion pictures. She appears on the soundtrack to the 1990 film Dick Tracy, in “Back in Business,” a song she performed with Lorraine Feather and fellow Transfer member Janis Siegel. She also collaborated with trumpeter/composer Mark Isham in the soundtrack to the 1991 Alan Rudolph film, Mortal Thoughts.

In 2000, Cheryl recorded and released an original cast album of her new musical revue based the music and wit of Cole Porter. Dreaming Of Mister Porter has played to sold-out audiences and received rave reviews in Boston and Seattle.

Bentyne joined the Telarc label in 2004 with the release of Talk of the Town, an album that featured a number of standards from the great American songbook. The album also featured a star-studded lineup of session players: pianist Kenny Barron, saxophonist David “Fathead” Newman, flugelhornist Chuck Mangione, percussionist Don Alias and drummer Lewis Nash.

Bentyne’s second Telarc outing released in April 2005, Let Me Off Uptown, is a tribute to legendary songstress Anita O’Day.https://www.allaboutjazz.com/musicians/cheryl-bentyne/

The Cole Porter Song Book

---

Cheryl Bentyne - The Book of Love

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2006
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 49:16
Size: 113,2 MB
Art: Front

(4:31)  1. You Don't Know Me
(4:48)  2. Be My Love
(3:40)  3. Blue Moon
(3:25)  4. Lets Do It
(5:05)  5. Don't Say A Word
(4:17)  6. The Book of Love
(4:29)  7. You Taught My Heart to Sing
(4:52)  8. You Go To My Head
(4:35)  9. Cry Me A River
(5:30) 10. I'm A Fool To Want You
(2:49) 11. Goodbye
(1:11) 12. The Book of Love (Reprise)

Much like fellow West Coaster Karrin Allyson, Cheryl Bentyne has shown a certain affection for thematic recordings. Allyson released her superb Coltrane tribute, Ballads: Remembering John Coltrane, in 2001, and Bentyne answered with her own tribute to Anita O'Day, Let Me Off Uptown, in 2005. Bentyne now returns with The Book of Love, a suite of standards based on a literary motif.  The Book of Love is divided into a seven chapters covering longing, flirtation, lust, love, joy, disillusion, and finally loss. Bentyne is clothed in a variety of musical attire for this reading. The opening "You Don't Know Me uses a Ray Charles line of orchestral outerwear to accent a soulful guitar-organ-piano ensemble warmly cushioning Bentyne's firm alto. "Be My Love is more simply clad with Wayne Johnson's classical guitar and bearing the jewel of Armen Ksajikian's cello solo.  "Blue Moon wears the flapper brocade of the 1920s Jazz Age. Bentyne playfully duets with John Pizzarelli while dancing with violinist Charlie Bisharat's best Joe Venuti. "Let's Do It wears the cloth of the guitar-piano quartet, swinging in three time signatures. Bentyne displays her superb lyric control best here. Having progressed through longing and flirtation, we arrive at lust, represented by the single song "Don't Say a Word, a contemporary piano-orchestra piece written by pianist Bill Cantos. Tenor saxophonist Bob Sheppard plays a Zoot Sims-inspired ballad solo and Bentyne captures the ember of the piece gracefully.

Love (containing the original title track) and joy reveal a gem in a regimented "You go to My Head, adorned with full orchestra and a languid guitar/piano/bass/drums rhythm section. Bentyne sings straight, employing a linear melody method not characteristically used on this song. Trumpeter Chris Tedesco blows a bright two-chorus solo that is a highlight.  But it is not longing, flirtation, lust or love that make the best songs; it is disillusion and loss. "Cry Me A River is formally dressed with stings and presented by Bentyne in a sardonically prideful manner. The true grief and anger are reserved for "I'm a Fool to Want You, where Bentyne's vocal sweetness is tainted by saline tears and bitterness. She sings in the context of her guitar-piano quartet accented again by Charlie Bisharat's violin. The disc closes with a smoky, Latinesque "Goodbye before signing off with a reprise of the original title track. Bentyne continues to deliver measured, intelligently defined recordings that brighten the jazz vocal landscape.By C.Michael Bailey https://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-book-of-love-cheryl-bentyne-telarc-records-review-by-c-michael-bailey.php

Personnel:  Cheryl Bentyne, Zoe Allen, John Pizzarelli, Mark Kibble, Alvin Chea: vocals;  Grant Geissman, Wayne Johnson: guitar; Charlie Bisharat: violin;  Armen Ksajikian: cello;  Bob Sheppard:tenor saxophone;  Chris Tedesco: trumpet;  Corey Allen: piano, keyboards;  Bill Cantos: piano;  Kevin Axt: bass guitar; Dave Tull: drums;  Don Alias, Scott Breadman: percussion;  The City Of Prague Symphony.

The Book of Love

---

The Manhattan Transfer - The Manhattan Transfer

Styles:  Vocal Jazz
Year: 1975
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 35:38
Size: 82,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:05)  1. Tuxedo Junction
(2:28)  2. Sweet Talking Guy
(3:13)  3. Operator
(3:30)  4. Candy
(3:00)  5. Gloria
(2:57)  6. Clap Your Hands
(2:54)  7. That Cat Is High
(3:33)  8. You Can Depend On Me
(2:24)  9. Blue Champagne
(2:47) 10. Java Jive
(3:08) 11. Occapella
(2:35) 12. Heart's Desire

Riding a wave of nostalgia in the '70s, the Manhattan Transfer resurrected jazz trends from boogie-woogie to bop to vocalese in a slick, slightly commercial setting that balanced the group's close harmonies. Originally formed in 1969, the quartet recorded several albums of jazz standards as well as much material closer to R&B/pop. Still, they were easily the most popular jazz vocal group of their era, and the most talented of any since the heyday of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross during the early '60s.  When the group was formed in the late '60s, however, the Manhattan Transfer was a hippie cornball act similar to the Lovin' Spoonful or Spanky & Our Gang. The lone LP that appeared from the original lineup leader Gene Pistilli plus Tim Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia was Jukin', assembled by Capitol. An odd and hardly successful satire record, it was the last appearance on a Manhattan Transfer album for all of the above except Hauser.  After Hauser met vocalists Laurel Masse and Janis Siegel in 1972, the trio re-formed the Manhattan Transfer later that year with the addition of Alan Paul. 

The group became popular after appearances at a few New York hotspots and recorded their own debut, an eponymous LP recorded with help from the jazz world (including Zoot Sims, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, and Mel Davis). Featuring vocalese covers of "Java Jive" and "Tuxedo Junction" as well as a Top 40 hit in the aggressive gospel tune "Operator," the album rejuvenated the field of vocalese (dormant since the mid-'60s) and made the quartet stars in the jazz community across Europe as well as America. The Manhattan Transfer's next two albums, Coming Out and Pastiche, minimized the jazz content in favor of covers from around the music community, from Nashville to Los Angeles to Motown. A single from Coming Out, the ballad "Chanson d'Amour," hit number one in Britain. Though Masse left in 1979 for a solo career, Cheryl Bentyne proved a capable replacement, and that same year, Extensions introduced their best-known song, "Birdland," the ode to bop written by Weather Report several years earlier. Throughout the 1980s, the group balanced retreads from all aspects of American song. The 1981 LP Mecca for Moderns gained the Manhattan Transfer their first American Top Ten hit, with a cover of the Ad Libs' 1965 girl group classic "The Boy from New York City," but also included a version of Charlie Parker's "Confirmation" and a surreal, wordless tribute (?) named "Kafka." (The album also earned the Manhattan Transfer honors as the first artist to receive Grammys in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year.) 

The production on virtually all was susceptible to '80s slickness, and though the group harmonies were wonderful, all but the most open of listeners had trouble digesting the sheer variety of material. The group's 1985 tribute to vocal pioneer Jon Hendricks, titled Vocalese, marked a shift in the Manhattan Transfer's focus. Subsequent works managed to keep the concepts down to one per album, and the results were more consistent. Such records as 1987's Brasil, 1994's Tubby the Tuba (a children's record), 1995's Tonin' ('60s R&B), and 1997's Swing (pre-war swing) may not have found the group at their performance peak, but were much more easily understandable for what they were. The group stayed very active and concept-heavy during the 2000s, beginning with a tribute to Louis Armstrong for 2000's The Spirit of St. Louis. They included a pair of Rufus Wainwright songs among the jazz material on 2004's Vibrate, and released An Acapella Christmas the following year. The Symphony Sessions followed in 2006, offering re-recordings of some of their best-known songs with orchestral arrangements. In 2009, the Transfer saluted one of the biggest names in jazz with The Chick Corea Songbook, and featured contributions from Corea, Airto Moreira, Christian McBride, and Ronnie Cuber, among others. During the early 2010s, the group focused more on performing, although both Bentyne and Hauser were forced to find temporary replacements during medical procedures. After spinal surgery in 2013, Hauser returned to the group, but then died suddenly from cardiac arrest in October 2014. ~ John Bush http://www.allmusic.com/artist/the-manhattan-transfer-mn0000674749/biography

Personnel: Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, Cheryl Bentyne, Tim Hauser- vocals

The Manhattan Transfer

---

Cheryl Bentyne - Rearrangements of Shadows

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2017
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 44:27
Size: 102,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:46)  1. I Remember
(4:47)  2. Sand
(5:13)  3. The Ladies Who Lunch
(2:55)  4. Everybody Says Don't
(3:15)  5. Comedy Tonight
(3:00)  6. Wish I Could Forget You
(5:40)  7. Not a Day Goes By
(4:56)  8. Move On
(4:37)  9. Send in the Clowns
(5:13) 10. The Ladies Who Lunch (solo CB) [Bonus Track]

Though such early career collaborations as West Side Story and Gypsy yielded significant fodder for jazz artists, the show tunes that Stephen Sondheim later shaped by himself remain seldom covered (save the ubiquitous “Send in the Clowns”). Many of his intricately crafted songs just don’t lend themselves easily to reinterpretation. Yet, with support from several gifted arrangers, the Manhattan Transfer’s Cheryl Bentyne proves effective at the art of reimagining Sondheim’s densely shadowed work. “Clowns” is here, saved ’til last; it’s a dreamy, Transfer-worthy treatment propelled by cajón and shaker and shaped by Take 6’s Mark Kibble, who unites with Naturally 7’s Armand Hutton on backing vocals. Among other familiar selections: a bubbly “The Ladies Who Lunch,” featuring special guests Tierney Sutton and the Transfer’s Janis Siegel, with a curiously effective nod to “Killer Joe” from arranger Jamieson Trotter; a lithe, tender “Not a Day Goes By”; a spirited, asymmetric “Everybody Says Don’t,” on which arranger and bassist Kevin Axt is paired with drummer Dave Tull; and a kaleidoscopic, edge-of-sanity “Comedy Tonight” that, courtesy of arranger Bevan Manson, blends Baroque courtliness with Big Top buffoonery. 

Digging deeper into the Sondheim songbook, Bentyne adds the obscure “Sand,” featuring a cleverly shifting arrangement by Eli Brueggemann; a strings-drenched “Move On” (from Sunday in the Park With George); and, alone with pianist Tom Zink, Passions’ haunting “I Wish I Could Forget You.” ~Christopher Loudon https://jazztimes.com/reviews/vox/cheryl-bentyne-rearrangements-sondheim/

Rearrangements of Shadows

---

Cheryl Bentyne & The Harmony - Moonlight Serenade

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2003
File: MP3@256K/s
Time: 37:50
Size: 70,0 MB
Art: Front

(2:56)  1. Moonlight Serenade
(3:53)  2. Blue Prelude
(3:15)  3. Alice in Wonderland
(3:51)  4. Caravan
(2:48)  5. How High The Moon
(4:33)  6. Land of Make Believe
(3:55)  7. Soft Strum Blues
(2:22)  8. My One And Only Love
(4:32)  9. For Claudio
(2:47) 10. Tull Tales
(2:53) 11. Since First I Saw Your Face

A member of the Manhattan Transfer beginning in 1979, Cheryl Bentyne's beautiful voice, wide range, versatility, and impressive stage presence made her into a major asset for the popular vocal group from the start. Her father was a clarinetist who led a Dixieland band, and Bentyne sang swing music with his group while in high school. She was the lead singer with the New Deal Rhythm Band (a swing-oriented band) for four years and then in 1979 replaced Laurel Masse with the Manhattan Transfer. In 1992 she released her first solo album, Something Cool. Produced by trumpeter/arranger Mark Isham, it found Bentyne delving into pop standards in a jazz style. Although she continued to perform and record with the Manhattan Transfer, it took over ten years for Bentyne to release her next solo album. Released in 2003, Among Friends featured Bentyne performing in a straight-ahead jazz style on various Great American Songbook standards. Since then, Bentyne has stuck to the acoustic jazz aesthetic, releasing a steady stream of albums including Lights Still Burn and Sings Waltz for Debby in 2004, Let Me Off Uptown in 2005, and Book of Love in 2006.  Bentyne then delivered two composer tribute albums with 2011's Gershwin Songbook and 2012's Let's Misbehave: The Cole Porter Songbook. She next paired with vocalist Mark Winkler for 2013's West Coast Cool. The compilation album Lost Love Songs, featuring tracks from several of Bentyne's Japan-only albums, appeared in 2016.~Scott Yanow http://www.allmusic.com/artist/cheryl-bentyne-mn0000108223/biography

Moonlight Serenade

---

Cheryl Bentyne - Let's Misbehave: The Cole Porter Song Book

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2012
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 54:56
Size: 126,5 MB
Art: Front

(5:16)  1. Love For Sale
(4:08)  2. It's Alright With Me
(3:14)  3. My Heart Belongs To Daddy
(3:21)  4. I Love Paris
(3:03)  5. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(4:14)  6. Night and Day
(2:17)  7. Just One of Those Things
(3:36)  8. What is this thing called Love
(3:34)  9. Begin the Beguine
(3:37) 10. All of You
(6:40) 11. I Concentrate on You
(3:53) 12. It's Delovely
(5:44) 13. Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye
(2:12) 14. Let's Misbehave

Cheryl Bentyne has maintained an active solo career in addition to her work with the Manhattan Transfer. Let's Misbehave is a fresh look at the Cole Porter songbook, featuring a baker's dozen of his best-known compositions, and showcasing a terrific band including pianist/organist Corey Allen, guitarist Larry Koonse, saxophonist/clarinetist Doug Webb, and bassist Kevin Axt (a member of Tierney Sutton's band), among others. Bentyne's sassy take of "Love for Sale" is buoyed by the piano/organ backdrop and Webb's soulful tenor. She devours the playful, hip Cuban setting of "My Heart Belongs to Daddy," while her interpretation of "I Love Paris" is pure magic. Her vocal gifts can especially be appreciated in "Begin the Beguine," with drummer Dave Tull as her sole accompanist. 

The late James Moody is a special guest on tenor sax for the breezy setting of "What Is This Thing Called Love" and the haunting, deliberate "Ev'ry Time We Say Goodbye," the latter of which Bentyne sings the words as if she's lived them. Let's Misbehave is clearly one Cheryl Bentyne's best recordings. ~ Ken Dryden https://www.allmusic.com/album/lets-misbehave-the-cole-porter-songbook-mw0002392520

Personnel:  Vocals – Cheryl Bentyne; Acoustic Guitar – Octavio Bailly, Tom McCauley; Bass, Tuba – Kevin Axt; Drums – Dave Tull; Guitar [Guitar Solos] – Larry Koonse; Mandola – Tom McCauley; Piano, Keyboards, Banjo – Corey Allen; Saxophone, Clarinet – Doug Webb; Tenor Saxophone – James Moody; Trumpet – Chris Tedesco

Let's Misbehave: The Cole Porter Song Book

---

Mark Winkler, Cheryl Bentyne - Eastern Standard Time

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2018
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 48:41
Size: 113,6 MB
Art: Front

(4:17)  1. Devil May Care
(3:43)  2. Rhode Island Is Famous for You
(3:37)  3. Like Jazz
(4:29)  4. The Gentleman Is a Dope
(3:55)  5. I Could Get Used to This
(4:27)  6. The Best Is yet to Come
(6:14)  7. Spring Can Really Hang You up the Most
(4:16)  8. Walk on the Wild Side
(4:03)  9. You Smell so Good
(3:28) 10. Things Are Swingin'
(6:07) 11. Ballad of the Sad Young Men / Lies of Handsome Men

Vocalists Mark Winkler & Cheryl Bentyne go together like champagne and caviar. They’ve teamed up to record Eastern Standard Time, a sophisticated project of songs culled from known standards and several less familiar pages of the Great American Songbook, as well as a couple of originals by Winkler. This is their second Cd together. The first, West Coast Cool, was released in 2013 and received critical acclaim and went to #16 on the Jazzweek chart. For that project, Winkler and Bentyne chose tunes from the 1950s associated with the West Coast Cool sound. For Eastern Standard Time they reprise the concept, but this time present songs of East Coast lineage. They’ve chosen songs that you would hear if you habituated jazz clubs in New York City back in the late 50s and early 60s. Although the CD comprises mainly duets, they each perform two solo pieces as well. Eastern Standard Time  is a cool and cultivated project by two stellar vocalists who can transform whatever they sing into a statement of great emotional depth. Individually, Winkler and Bentyne are highly compelling performers. Together, they are musical powerhouses. https://store.cdbaby.com/cd/markwinkler28

Eastern Standard Time

---

Dave Tull - Texting And Driving

Size: 174,8 MB
Time: 75:00
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2018
Styles: Jazz Vocals
Art: Front

01. The Texting Song (Feat. Randy Waldman) (3:49)
02. Henrietta (5:01)
03. The Moment (Feat. Inga Swearingen & George Stone) (4:44)
04. Please Tell Me Your Name (Feat. Wayne Bergeron, Doug Webb & Andy Martin) (7:19)
05. I'm Forever In A Fog (Feat. Randy Porter) (6:34)
06. I Will Sing To You (Feat. Larry Koonse) (5:29)
07. The Stoplight At The End Of The Street (Feat. Randy Porter) (5:37)
08. Tell Me That I'm Wrong (3:40)
09. Watch Your Kid (Feat. Randy Porter) (6:39)
10. The Date (Feat. Cheryl Bentyne) (5:15)
11. Clapping On One And Three (Feat. Doug Webb) (5:09)
12. This Summer Night (Feat. Randy Porter) (4:43)
13. You Remind Me (Feat. Kevin Axt) (4:02)
14. I'm So Confused (Feat. Les Benedict) (3:50)
15. Fly By The Seat Of My Pants (3:00)

Wallflower. The word has zero application to describe jazz drummer, vocalist and composer/arranger/producer, Dave Tull. He's more like a Venus Fly-Trap of talent, devouring all those activities and offering a keen eye for life's surrealities. He demos all on his second CD, texting and driving. It might just be what's needed for a long, endless drive from, say, St. Louis to Gallup, New Mexico.

Tull's drum credits are formidable—with Barbra Streisand (whose legendary pickiness imprimaturs Tull's chops), performing with Chuck Mangione, et al. With texting and driving Tull offers 15 (that's a plenty!) solid, swinging selections—all engaging originals—in which he vocalizes, vocaleses, and, with an elite cadre of L.A.'s best (Cheryl Bentyne, Wayne Bergeron, Doug Webb, George Stone, et al), does all that splendidly.

The title-related tune, "The Texting Song" launches the upbeat session with Tull backed by a cooking big band. And, while s(w)inging, he weaves fine lyric, hipster vocalese, and scat. "Henrietta" is a lilting woodwind-backed boy-meets-girl-with-unique-sobriquet thing. Lush strings embrace Tull's fine romancing, a la Jackie Cain and Roy Kral) with Inga Swearingen on the ballad "The Moment." "Please Tell Me Your Name" Latins away with some tasty Lou Rawls vocal embellishments on the swing section. He gets funky on the side-winding "The Stoplight at the End of the Street," too.

Vocally, Tull is more jazzer than pure crooner—think Dave Frishberg, or, perhaps Scatman supreme, Giacomo Gates. He's got solid pipes that invite. His vocal dexterity and word-work is hand-glove with the material throughout. You can't help but really like this Cat. He puts his own tasty seasoning on his recipes of "I'm Forever in a Fog," as well as on the Antonio Carlos Jobim-esque "I Will Sing to You" and on the ballad, "Tell Me that I'm Wrong").

As a composer/lyricist, Tull homers with smarts, wry humor, and pungency throughout the session, on tunes like the faux admonishment, "Please Watch Your Kid," the tasty contrapuntal duet with Bentyne on "The Date," the soul-slick "Clapping on One and Three," and the boss bossa complete with neat Tull set work, "You Remind Me." "I'm So Confused," a flashback ballad with a tasty Les Benedict bone ride that could "reflect" an Astaire classic and the carefree stroll, "Fly By the Seat of My Pants" close the session.

texting and driving is a marvelous panorama of Tull's and his pals' talents. Go for a ride and enjoy "Tull's Merry Pranks"—but, you take the wheel; he's rather involved with his fine texting and driving. ~By Nicholas F. Mondello

Personnel: Dave Tull: drums, vocals; Randy Porter: piano; Randy Waldman: piano (1); Larry Koonse: guitar (1,4,6,15); Kevin Axt: basses; Wayne Bergeron: trumpet (1,4,7,14); Dog Webb: saxes (1,4,7,11,14,15), clarinet (8); Cheryl Bentyne: vocal (10); George Stone: piano, flugelhorn (3), trumpet (9); Les Benedict: trombone (14); Inga Swearingen: vocals (3); Peter Olstad: trumpet (1,4,); Mike Guiterrez: trumpet (1,4); Dave Becker: flute, clarinets (2), saxes (9); Andy MArtin: trombone (1,4,7); Bill Hulting: percussion (6,13); Brynn Albanese: violin (3); Peter Jandula-Clark: viola (3); Ken Hustad: cello (3).

Texting And Driving

---

Mark Winkler - The Company I Keep

Bitrate: MP3@320K/s
Time: 55:56
Size: 128.0 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2017
Art: Front

[4:12] 1. Walk Between The Raindrops (With Jackie Ryan)
[5:12] 2. Strollin' (With Cheryl Bentyne)
[4:27] 3. Midnight In Paris
[3:30] 4. But It Still Ain't So (With Steve Tyrell)
[5:42] 5. That Afternoon In Harlem
[3:15] 6. They Can't Take That Away From Me
[4:58] 7. Stolen Moments (With Claire Martin)
[4:27] 8. Love Comes Quietly
[5:18] 9. Rainproof (With Sara Gazarek)
[5:20] 10. The Sum
[4:00] 11. Lucky To Be Me
[5:28] 12. Here's To Life

Mark Winkler: vocals; Jackie Ryan: vocals (1); Jamieson Trotter: piano (1, 2, 4, 6, 7), Hammond B-3 (4); Lyman Medeiros: bass (1, 2, 4, 6, 10, 11); Mike Shapiro: drums (1, 2, 6, 10); Bob McChesney: trombone (1, 5, 7); Ron Blake: trumpet (1, 7); Brian Swartz: trumpet (1, 7); Bob Sheppard: saxophone (1, 4, 7, 9, 10), clarinet (11); Cheryl Bentyne: vocals (2); Larry Koonse: guitar (2, 3); Rich Eames: piano (3, 12); John Clayton: bass (3, 7-9); Jeff Hamilton: drums (3, 5, 7-9); Don Shelton: clarinet (3); Paul Cartwright: violin (3); Bob Mann: guitars (4); Kevin Winard: drums (4), percussion (10); Eric Reed: piano (5, 8); John Beasley: piano (10); David Benoit: piano (11).

The utility of music, at its very core, is entertainment. It is not all about dissonance and consonance, tonal conflict and resolution; heart and intellect, pathos and ethos. Somewhere in everything music has to offer, there must be a smile. It is in music's smile that vocalist Mark Winkler exists. An elegant West Coast mainstay, vocalist/lyricist/composer Winkler, drove across my radar first with his 2011 recording Sweet Spot (Café Pacific Records). I was struck by how well Winkler could skirt the orbit of con brio cabaret singing, with its fun, entertainment core, and remain completely fixed in his capacity of jazz singer and composer.

Winkler followed Sweet Spot with his bold 2013 release, The Laura Nyro Project (Café Pacific Records). An exceptional duet recording with The Manhattan Transfer's Cheryl Bentyne, West Coast Cool (Summit Records, 2013) came next, followed by the fun and good-natured Jazz and Other Four Letter Words (Café Pacific Records, 2015).

Winkler had a period of personal loss in 2016 that would have crushed lesser musical mortals. Rather than dwell in the loss, Winkler circled his wagons, and, by wagons I mean his friends, producing the present recording, The Company I Keep. The recording is tacitly a duets recording, where Winkler shares singing duties with the likes of Jackie Ryan "Walk Between the Raindrops" and Steve Tyrell "But It Still Ain't So." Sometimes the duets are with musicians: pianists David Benoit, Josh Nelson and Eric Reed join Winkler regular Jamison Trotter in providing the singer support. Add to this the contributions of reeds player Bob Sheppard and a picture is complete. With friends like that, how can one go wrong.

The recording, engineering, and sonics are exceptional, as well as the arrangements (mostly by Trotter). The project is composed of a a dozen pieces, half with lyrics composed by Winkler and half carefully selected by him and his cohorts. Beautifully, the "standards" (if you will) are not so standard. Donald Fagan's "Walk Between Raindrops," shared with Ryan and Prince's "Strollin'" shared with Cheryl Bentyne are pure genius in song selection. What is amply apparent is that Winkler is enjoying himself and his friends and vice versa. "Stolen Moments" with Claire Martin (using the late Mark Murphy's lyrics) and "Rainproof," sung with Sara Gazarek (this latter with Winkler lyrics) demonstrates Winkler's artistic resilience and determination.

Winkler's complete dedication to his friends is also expressed in the cover art, which includes West Coast dignitaries well known to our electronic pages (in no particular order): Lauren White, Jeffrey Gimble, Barbara Brighton, Andrew Abaria, Richard Winkler, Judy Wexler, and Dolores Scozzesi. Mark Winkler, I am so glad you (we) have them all. ~C. Michael Bailey

The Company I Keep mc
The Company I Keep zippy

---

Scott Whitfield - Speaking Of Love

Styles: Vocal And Trombone Jazz
Year: 2007
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 68:09
Size: 157,5 MB
Art: Front

(3:08)  1. A Beautiful Friendship
(4:20)  2. Sugar
(4:25)  3. Come To Me
(5:49)  4. I'm Getting Sentimental Over You
(6:32)  5. I'm A Romantic Sap
(5:44)  6. Adagio In Pearl
(4:18)  7. Two People
(5:09)  8. It's You!
(8:07)  9. Only At Lonely Times
(4:17) 10. I Love You
(4:48) 11. What Went Wrong
(5:16) 12. I Can't Give You Anything But Love
(1:56) 13. When I Fell In Love
(4:14) 14. All Of You

Coated with sugar and filled with swing, Speaking of Love offers a blast from the past as Scott Whitfield scat sings with the enthusiasm of Mel Tormé, introduces a vocal quartet that recalls the Four Freshmen, teams with guest artists Cheryl Bentyne, Bucky Pizzarelli, Marvin Stamm, Memo Acevedo and Scott Robinson, and adds lovely trombone melodies to enhance the romance. Through original songs and memorable standards, Whitfield brings an upbeat message of good cheer to the forum. His trombone dashes and darts gracefully through casual melodies and invites camaraderie from his sidemen. On "Adagio in Pearl, for example, he introduces the reflective piece with a mellifluous trombone soliloquy and follows later with a velvet interlude that supports the vocal duet between himself and Bentyne quite well. Trumpeter Stamm and saxophonist Robinson add considerably to the session's swinging spirit, while Whitfield's rhythm section provides a strong foundation. The big surprise of the album is the Manhattan Project, which provides stellar examples of lyrical delight. The group is right on target, and each member plays an instrument too. Whitfield is at his best on trombone. While he scat sings quite well, his vocal lyric interpretations are not warm, convincing or thrilling. There's a great contrast between his vocals and those of his guests. He seems to enjoy singing, but he never gets deep enough into his subject matter to make a difference. Whitfield's singing takes a significant turn on "I Can't Give You Anything But Love, where his manner comes close to an impersonation of Dean Martin. It's better than the rest of the program, but his "main squeeze rests with the love that he gets from his trombone. The instrument never fails to give Whitfield a clear picture of what he wants to express. ~ Jim Santella https://www.allaboutjazz.com/speaking-of-love-scott-whitfield-summit-records-review-by-jim-santella.php

Personnel: Scott Whitfield: vocals, trombone, arranger; Ted Kooshian: piano; Mary Ann McSweeney: bass; Willard Dyson, Terry Clarke: drums; The Manhattan Vocal Project: Pete McGuinness, Scott Whitfield, Kevin Osborne: vocals, trombone; Joe Elefante: vocal, alto saxophone; Special Guests: Bucky Pizzarelli: guitar; Cheryl Bentyne: vocals; Marvin Stamm: trumpet, flugelhorn; Memo Acevedo: percussion; Scott Robinson: tenor saxophone, bass saxophone, bass flute.

Speaking Of Love

---

Manhattan Transfer - Boy From New York City And Other Hits

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 1997
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 42:39
Size: 99,1 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. Boy From New York City
(2:48)  2. Java Jive
(3:00)  3. Gloria
(2:57)  4. Helpless
(3:09)  5. Tuxedo Junction
(6:09)  6. Twilight Zone/ Twilight Tone
(5:09)  7. Ray's Rockhouse
(5:03)  8. Mystery
(4:38)  9. Smile Again
(6:01) 10. Birdland

Boy from New York City & Other Hits is a budget-priced collection that features ten original recordings from the popular, kitschy East Coast vocal group Manhattan Transfer. For most listeners, the compilation's namesake will be the only familiar hit, but "Tuxedo Junction," the old Mills Brothers standard "Java Jive," and the ultra-weird "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" are decent examples of the group's signature modern vocalese, jazz-pop sound. 

Fans looking for more of a definitive product should hunt down Rhino's two-disc Anthology: Down in Birdland or the less intimidating single-disc Very Best of the Manhattan Transfer. ~ James Christopler Monge  http://www.allmusic.com/album/boy-from-new-york-city-other-hits-mw0000066050

The Manhattan Transfer: Cheryl Bentyne , Janis Siegel, Laurel Massé, Alan Paul, Tim Hauser.

Boy From New York City And Other Hits

---

Cheryl Bentyne - Dreaming of Mister Porter

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@224K/s
Time: 46:57
Size: 75,4 MB
Art: Front

(5:26)  1. Dreaming of Mister Porter
(3:17)  2. I Love You
(3:14)  3. Begin the Beguine/All of You-You've Got That Thing
(2:58)  4. Let's Do It
(2:33)  5. In The Still of The Night
(3:06)  6. Can Can
(3:42)  7. Paree Paree I Love Paris
(2:46)  8. Just One of Those Things
(4:20)  9. Love For Sale
(4:10) 10. Pets
(4:44) 11. Find Me A Primitive Man/ You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
(2:23) 12. At Long Last Love
(2:24) 13. True Love
(1:48) 14. Every Time We Say Goodbye

Since 1979 Cheryl Bentyne has been part of the Grammy-winning, iconic vocal quartet, "The Manhattan Transfer," recording such mega-hits as "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone," "Birdland," "Boy From New York City," "Route 66," and "Sassy." She has also been very busy with her solo career, having produced such great CDs as Something Cool, Talk of the Town, Moonlight Serenade, Waltz for Debby, and the Cole Porter Songbook. Here we present a great track each from two of her most recent releases, The Gershwin Songbook and Blissongs, a multi-voice healing journey through the seven chakras.

Ms. Bentyne has sung some of the most memorable solos in the Transfer's repertoire: "Good-bye Love," Benny Goodman's solo on "Down South Camp Meeting" (both on the 1983 release, Bodies and Souls) and "Meet Benny Bailey" (on their landmark 1985 recording, Vocalese). She won a Grammy (which she shares with Bobby McFerrin) for her arrangement of "Another Night In Tunisia" (also on Vocalese). Her hot performance in the video and single release "So You Say" (from Brasil, 1987) helped broaden the Transfer's audience via frequent appearances on BET. She also wrote and co-wrote tracks for the Transfer's 1992 release, The Offbeat of Avenues, including the title track and the Grammy winning "Sassy."

Twenty-four albums and many Grammy Awards later, the group is still going strong, with each of the members also performing in solo careers as well. In 1988, Cheryl appeared on bassist Rob Wasserman's highly acclaimed Duets album. Four years later, she released her solo debut album, Something Cool, for Columbia/Sony Records. Cheryl explains: "The original concept was to do a tribute to the cool singers of the 1950's, particularly June Christy. Producers Mark Isham and Corey Allen did such an incredible job on the arrangements that the songs sound strikingly modern and beautiful. These arrangements have brought out a new dimension to my singing. It's like nothing I've ever heard." Cheryl appears on the soundtrack to the 1990 film Dick Tracy, on "Back in Business," a song she performed with Lorraine Feather and fellow Transfer member Janis Siegel. She also collaborated with trumpeter/composer Mark Isham in the soundtrack to the 1991 Alan Rudolph film, Mortal Thoughts. In 2000, she recorded an original cast album of her new musical revue based the music and wit of Cole Porter. Dreaming Of Mister Porter has played to sold-out audiences and received rave reviews in Boston and Seattle.

Cheryl has released seven CDs for King Records in Japan: The first, The Talk Of The Town, is an album of classics from the "Great American Songbook," recorded with some of the biggest names in jazz: Kenny Barron, Chuck Mangione, John Patitucci, Lewis Nash, Don Alias, David "Fathead" Newman, and the tenor and bass voices from Take 6, Mark Kibble and Alvin Chea. The Lights Still Burn is an album of romantic ballads. Moonlight Serenade features Cheryl leading a vocal group comprised of some of the best singers in the business: Mark Kibble from Take 6, Roger Treece from Bobby McFerrin’s Voicestra, and jazz great Kevin Mahogany. In Waltz for Debby, Cheryl meets up again with Kenny Barron, this time with the addition of the great bassist Ray Drummond. Songs Of Our Time is an album of pop tunes from the 1960s–90s, approached from a jazz point of view. The Cole Porter Songbook rekindles her love affair with Porter's music, and her latest CD, The Gershwin Songbook (2010), features fourteen classic Gershwin standards, with a band that will burn the house down!

In a completely different direction, in 2010 Cherly co-wrote and recorded with Tom McCauley Blissongs Volume One, a soothing, healing journey of the seven chakras. As her busy schedule allows, Cheryl helps the next generation of professional vocalists get started. She taught at the prestigious Berklee College of Music and routinely holds master classes at universities and music schools around the US. As a member of the board of governors for The National Academy of Recording Arts and Sciences (NARAS,) Cheryl worked hard to promote educational programs — most notably through the "Grammy In The Schools" program. A truly wonderful result of her work at NARAS is the strength of the vocal department at the Hamilton Musical Academy in Los Angeles, which she helped to establish. In recognition of their many achievements, Cheryl and her partners in The Manhattan Transfer received honorary doctorate degrees from the Berklee College of Music. In June 2011 "The Cheryle Bentyne Show" debuted on The Jazz Groove radio station. Click the logo to learn more about it. http://www.thescreamonline.com/music/music7-3/bentyne/bentyne.html

Dreaming of Mister Porter

---

Cheryl Bentyne - Something Cool

Styles: Vocal Jazz 
Year: 1992
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 45:12
Size: 103,7 MB
Art: Front

(4:45)  1. Something Cool
(4:50)  2. Les modernes (Still They Tango)
(3:58)  3. Les Enfants
(3:23)  4. Fever
(5:01)  5. Moonray
(4:14)  6. Invitation
(4:39)  7. Daydream
(5:36)  8. Let's Go Out Tonight
(3:32)  9. Lonely House
(5:09) 10. I Didn't Know About You

The Manhattan Transfer's Cheryl Bentyne tries a solo album of pop standards, backed by trumpeter/producer/arranger Mark Isham, and comes up with a winner. Bentyne sings both evergreens like the title track, "Fever," and Duke Ellington's "I Didn't Know About You," plus newer material, in a sensuous, smoky voice that sounds made for a late-night second set, and even with the somewhat modernistic backings Isham conceives, the songs have a traditional feel. An excellent entry in the classic pop lists.~ William Ruhlmann http://www.allmusic.com/album/something-cool-mw0000612198

Personnel: Cheryl Bentyne (vocals); David Torn (guitar); Lisa Johnson , Steven Scharf (violin); Raymond Tischer (viola); Mathew Cooker (cello); Bobby Militello (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Mark Isham (trumpet, flugelhorn); Corey Allen, David Goldblatt (piano); Larry Bunker (vibraphone); Kurt Wortman (drums).

Something Cool

---

Cheryl Bentyne - Lost Love Songs

Size: 118,5 MB
Time: 50:48
File: MP3 @ 320K/s
Released: 2016
Styles: Jazz/Pop Vocals
Art: Front

01. This Masquerade (5:15)
02. The Lights Still Burn In Paris (4:27)
03. Land Of Make Believe (4:29)
04. Black Coffee (4:23)
05. If Ever (4:35)
06. He Was Too Good To Me (3:21)
07. Shattered (2:36)
08. Blue Prelude (3:50)
09. You Taught My Heart To Sing (5:04)
10. Love's River (4:43)
11. Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow (5:14)
12. Goodbye (2:46)

Cheryl Bentyne has recorded a lot of solo albums over the years, in addition to her work with the Manhattan Transfer. Most notably among those, a superb duo recording with the equally impressive Mark Winkler (“West Coast Cool”, 2013). This new compilation with hand-picked songs include tracks that have only been released in Japan. It is no big secret that the Japanese are crazy for jazz vocalists (Daryl Sherman’s new album is a Jap-only release, too; review follows soon).

The three albums from which they were culled are “Moonlight Serenade” and “The Lights Still Burn” (2003) and “Songs Of Our Time” (2011) and the chosen songs are a wonderful example of inventive and imaginative repertoire. And the album starts out with the most catchy and haunting arrangement of Leon Russell‘s “This Masquerade” that I’ve ever heard. Cheryl should move more towards this direction; the cute keyboards by Corey Allen plus exotic guitars all add up to a mesmerizing rendition of this classic.

“The Lights Still Burn In Paris”, a sweet dedication to the city of lights written by Don Freeman, is another sensitive gem which features mandolin (Grant Geissman) and accordion (Van Dyke Barks, not to be confused…) on a wonderful tribute. There is more exoticism on the percussive “Land Of Make Believe”, written by the great Chuck Mangione and featuring Don Alias, and a bluesy take on “Black Coffee” where Cheryl’s perfect pitch and intonation can be enjoyed.

Cheryl’s love for Brazilian composers is shared on “If Ever”, a tune written by the great Dori Caymmi with English lyrics by Tracy Mann – a sweet ballad that floats along beautifully. And the guitar/bass-only accompaniment on the Rodgers & Hart standard “He Was Too Good To Me” suits her extremely well. Her voice here is like a warm embrace from a dear friend (Grant Geissman on guitar, Kevin Axt on bass). The Jimmy Webb poem “Shattered” gets yet another special treatment here: the svelte string quartet adds grace and suaveness to this beauty which has been recorded by Linda Ronstadt (1989) and Webb himself (with Art Garfunkel, 2013).

Manhattan Transfer fans are best served on “Blue Prelude” which features the vocals of Mark Kibble (Take 6), Roger Treece, and Dave Tull on a swinging and powerful take on this Gordon Jenkins piece. McCoy Tyner‘s “You Taught My Heart To Sing” has always been one of my favorite love songs (lyrics by Sammy Cahn) and Cheryl tells this story in her signature, direct and conversational style. Simple and straight.

There is another Dori Caymmi tune, the very lush “Love’s River” and a relaxing “Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow”, maybe too relaxed. The well-chosen compilation finishes in a late-night mood with percussion and accordion on the Gordon Jenkins ballad “Goodbye” which, instead of a fade-out, would have gained a lot more if the repetitive part towards the end had been stretched out a bit longer. ~Gina Jazz

Lost Love Songs

---

Cheryl Bentyne - The Gershwin Songbook

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2010
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 57:15
Size: 131,2 MB
Art: Front

(3:41)  1. Fascinating Rhythm/I Got Rhythm
(3:14)  2. Love Is Here To Stay
(3:50)  3. Isn't It A Pity
(3:23)  4. Summertime
(3:33)  5. A Foggy Day (In London Town)
(3:59)  6. (Oh Sweet And Lovely) Lady Be Good
(5:54)  7. Someone To Watch Over Me
(3:16)  8. How Long Has This Been Going On
(4:01)  9. The Man I Love
(5:35) 10. I've Got A Crush On You
(4:39) 11. But Not For Me
(4:03) 12. Let's Call The Whole Thing Off
(3:41) 13. Nice Work If You Can Get It
(4:20) 14. S'Wonderful

Cheryl Bentyne's The Gershwin Songbook is among the best vocal albums of 2010. A member of The Manhattan Transfer since 1979, she frequently strikes out on her own to record, and has released eight albums in the past two decades. Perfecting her talent in vocalese with The Manhattan Transfer, Bentyne performs jazz choruses with a pitch-perfect soprano in the tradition of Annie Ross, by way of Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan. In this set of 15 Gershwin classics, she gets many opportunities to show her vocal dexterity; excelling in all contexts, swinging for sure, and sensitive to every nuance of the lyrics. Pianist Corey Allen is essential to the album's success. Along with another pianist, Ted Howe, he turns out delightfully creative arrangements that are not "by the book" interpretations.

The guest artists are also big factors in giving the recording its distinctive flavor: impeccable clarinetist Ken Peplowski, who shines throughout; flautist Peter Gordon; and guitarist Larry Koonse, in particular a standout on rhythm guitar. Appropriate to the Gershwins, things start with Peplowski's clarinet introduction to "Fascinating Rhythm" echoing "Rhapsody in Blue," evolving into a breakneck scat duet with Bentyne before drummer Dave Tull heralds a transition to "I Got Rhythm."After a dazzling cadenza on "Lady Be Good," Peplowski gives a virtuoso display, backed by a romping piano. Bentyne also really shows her straight-ahead jazz chops. Bentyne is soft and seductive on "I've Got A Crush on You," with Koonse's sensitive solo also prominent. 

On "Isn't It a Pity," her shimmering voice is counterpoint to the piano and Tull's background vocal, while "Summertime" is a standout arrangement, with its Gil Evans-like background, Bentyne's vocalese merging with Gordon's flute. A surprising version of "The Man I Love," with rhythm guitar and clarinet that could have come from Django Reinhardt's Hot Club de France, is an upbeat joy. Overall, every track on The Gershwin Songbook is a happy discovery. ~ Larry Taylor  http://www.allaboutjazz.com/the-gershwin-songbook-cheryl-bentyne-artistshare-review-by-larry-taylor.php
 

Personnel: Cheryl Bentyne: vocals; Corey Allen: piano; Ted Howe: piano; Kevin Axt: bass; Larry Koonse: guitar: Dave Tull: drums, background vocal; Ken Peplowski: clarinet; Peter Gordon: flute; Mark Winkler: vocalist.

The Gershwin Songbook

---

The Manhattan Transfer - The Best Of The Manhattan Transfer

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1981
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:25
Size: 107,9 MB
Art: Front

(3:07)  1. Tuxedo Junction
(3:40)  2. Boy From New York City
(3:56)  3. Twilight Zone
(4:27)  4. Body And Soul
(3:27)  5. Candy
(3:49)  6. Four Brothers
(5:59)  7. Birdland
(2:58)  8. Gloria
(2:21)  9. Trickle Trickle
(3:12) 10. Operator
(2:46) 11. Java Jive
(3:47) 12. A Nightingale Sang In Berkeley Square
(2:55) 13. Chanson D'Armour

There's no annotation to speak of on this 12-track collection, but little is needed, as this particular group's work speaks for itself. This is a smooth and impressive cross-section of the renowned vocal group's work across the first six years of its successful "reincarnation" nothing of the original late-'60s quartet is here, apart from the newer group's successful reworking of "Java Jive" near the end of the disc. But basically this album moves from strength to strength, in something of a jumble in terms of original release order the live "Tuxedo Junction," the hit single "Boy from New York City," their stylized homage to Marius Constant's (not Bernard Herrmann, as erroneously listed on the composer's credit) "Twilight Zone" theme, the soaring "Body and Soul," the doo wop homage "Gloria," etc. There are no personnel or detailed recording data, but the release dates and original album information make it easy for anyone who wants more of what they hear to track down the original Atlantic albums and CDs. ~ Bruce Eder  http://www.allmusic.com/album/the-best-of-the-manhattan-transfer-mw0000194748

Manhattan Transfer: Tim Hauser, Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, Laurel Masse, Cheryl Bentyne (vocals).

The Best Of The Manhattan Transfer

---

The Manhattan Transfer - Live

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Big Band
Year: 1978
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 59:21
Size: 138,0 MB
Art: Front

(3:18)  1. That Cat Is High
(3:26)  2. Snootie Little Cutie
(4:03)  3. Four Brothers
(3:43)  4. On A Little Street In Singapore
(3:02)  5. Java Jive
(3:25)  6. Walk In Love
(2:39)  7. Chanson D'Amour
(3:27)  8. Speak Up Mambo (Cuentame)
(1:40)  9. 15 Minute Intermission
(4:18) 10. In The Dark
(4:55) 11. Je Voulais (Te Dire Que Je T'Attends)
(0:42) 12. Sunday
(3:39) 13. Candy
(1:56) 14. Well, Well, Well
(4:10) 15. Freddy Morris Monologue / Bacon Fat
(3:38) 16. Turn Me Loose
(3:55) 17. Operator
(3:17) 18. Tuxedo Junction

The Manhattan Transfer was recorded at Manchester (23rd April 1978), Bristol (28th April 1978), and Hammersmith Odeon, London (2nd May 1978). The album was produced by Tim Hauser and Janis Siegel. For many years, this album had the distinction of being the only Manhattan Transfer album not to be released on CD… but finally Wounded Bird Records (WOU-540) released it in the spring of 2005. Interestingly, when asked for the group’s comments on this album, Janis and Alan had something very similar to say about it. Janis: “Worst album cover in history (with possible exceptions of ‘Coming Out’ and ‘Mecca’)” Alan: “Wins the award for worst album cover.” There are actually two covers to the album, one being an actual photo of the group that is a silhouette, and the other one is a “cartoonish” rendition of a similar pose. Alan says that the album “was never released in the United States. The first printing is a collector’s item.” 

The version with the “photo” cover was released by Mobile Fidelity Sounds Labs as an “Original Master Recording”. It’s a great album that captures the essence of The Manhattan Transfer during that time: The group was riding a wave of success and had become very popular in Europe, and the enthusiasm is evident in their performance. “The album was recorded live at the Hammersmith Odeon,” recalls Alan. The performance captures numbers by L Dorado Caddy and Guido Panzini. It’s also the last album made with Laurel Massé. Produced by Tim and Janis, it was recorded in late April/early May of 1978. Janis was truly dedicated to her producing duties, as she recalls “I co-produced and was in the hospital for emergency surgery remember listening to mixes and taking notes up until the time they wheeled me in the O.R.” http://manhattantransfer.net/discography/the-manhattan-transfer-live/

The Manhattan Transfer: Cheryl Bentyne , Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, Tim Hauser (vocals).

Personnel:  Bass – Michael Schnoebelen; Contractor – David Katz; Drums – Peter Johnson; Guitar – Wayne Johnson; Keyboards – Dave Wallace; Saxophone – Derek Grossmith, Eddie Mordue, Keith Bird, Stan Sultzman; Trombone – Cliff Hardie, David Horler; Trombone [Bass] – Geoff Perkins;  Trumpet – Bobby Haughey, Derek Watkins, Ronnie Hughes, Tony Fisher

Live

---

Manhattan Transfer - Couldn't Be Hotter

Styles: Vocal Jazz, Swing
Year: 2002
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 77:30
Size: 178,1 MB
Art: Front

(2:46)  1. Old Man Mose
(3:42)  2. Sing Moten's Swing
(3:06)  3. A-Tisket, A-Tasket
(3:41)  4. Sugar (That Sugar Baby O'Mine)
(5:38)  5. Up A Lazy River
(5:32)  6. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
(4:32)  7. Stars Fell On Alabama
(5:03)  8. Gone Fishin'
(5:29)  9. Blue Again
(7:51) 10. Clouds (Adapted from 'Nuages')
(3:08) 11. Stompin' At Mahogany Hall
(6:43) 12. Nothing Could Be Hotter Than That
(3:14) 13. It's Good Enough To Keep
(4:19) 14. Don't Let Go
(4:15) 15. Twilight Zone / Twilight Tone
(8:25) 16. My Foolish Heart

Last year the Manhattan Transfer made its Telarc debut with the live Couldn't Be Hotter. Terrific as the disc was, it turns out the title was merely prescient of the follow-up studio release Vibrate, the group's first in four years. Drawing on all of Tim Hauser, Janis Siegel, Alan Paul and Cheryl Bentyne's individual and collective talents, and echoing such eclectically brilliant group accomplishments as Swing, Bop Doo-Wopp, Vocalese, Tonin' and Pastiche (which, though it predates Bentyne's arrival in 1979, remains classic MT), Vibrate can best be described as a triumphant "greatest skills" collection.

The opener, Brenda Russell's "Walkin' in N.Y.," recalls the breezy retro sophistication of the Transfer's long-ago "Tuxedo Junction" days. It's followed by Rufus Wainwright's cheekily romantic "Greek Song," which, with its mixed Asian and European accents, is strongly reminiscent of the pre-Bentyne Transfer's dazzling, cross-cultural treatment of "On a Little Street in Singapore" on Pastiche. The cunning title track, another Wainwright delight, follows, blending an old-fashioned tango with a conventional tale of heartbreak and longing, and then twisting both in the chords of modern contrivances. "Doodlin'" is yet another fine example of the Transfer's ability to channel the tightly choreographed vivacity of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross while making the tune distinctly its own. Their creamy "Embraceable You," dripping in strings, is gorgeously reminiscent of the Tommy Dorsey days of the Pied Pipers; "I Met Him on a Sunday" infuses the Shirelles' hit with plenty of rib-sticking N'awlins gumption; and "First Ascent," cowritten by Alan Paul (with Billy Hulting and Bob Mair) and set to a deliciously cacophonous Afro-Latin rhythm, is an homage to creative inspiration that is itself an inspired creation. Then there's "The New JuJu Man," based on Miles Davis' "Tutu," which shows off these four vocalese masters at their most imaginatively incendiary. Put 'em all together and, indeed, the Transfer couldn't be hotter. ~ Christopher Loudon  http://jazztimes.com/articles/15114-couldn-t-be-hotter-manhattan-transfer

Manhattan Transfer: Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, Cheryl Bentyne, Tim Hauser (vocals)
Personnel: Wayne Johnson (guitar); Larry Klimas (soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone); Lew Soloff (trumpet); Yaron Gershovsky (keyboards); Tom Brechtlein (drums).

Couldn't Be Hotter

---

Lorraine Feather - Language

Bitrate: 320K/s
Time: 44:25
Size: 101.7 MB
Styles: Vocal jazz
Year: 2008
Art: Front

[4:12] 1. Traffic And Weather
[3:40] 2. We Appreciate Your Patience
[4:29] 3. Very Unbecoming
[3:56] 4. I Love New York At Christmas
[5:02] 5. Home Alone
[2:24] 6. Hit The Ground Runnin'
[4:12] 7. Where Are My Keys
[3:52] 8. In Flower
[4:02] 9. Waiting Tables
[4:34] 10. A Household Name
[3:58] 11. Making It Up As We Go Along

Over her mere seven-album discography, Lorraine Feather has carved out a fulfilling career as a jazz singer far outdistancing many one-shots, far less talented but successful pop-jazz vocalists, and wannabes. Her talent as a lyricist of wit, sarcasm, and keen observations of the American human condition is her true strength, and not always as acknowledged as her verbal chops and inventiveness. Her language goes beyond the nomenclatures of swing, bop, and contemporary improvisation, as Feather exploits many literary references and well-worn phraseology from various acumens, and keeps the proceedings upbeat and interactive between her words and the musical notes offered by her excellent confreres. Pianist Shelly Berg is closest to Feather as a collaborator, writing the music for Feather's cleverest lyrics. The quick, lithe, bouncy, and brisk "Traffic and Weather" relates to Bay Area commuter congestion, climatological issues, or references to inseparable pairings, and "We Appreciate Your Patience," with a cynical, animated take on annoying automated answering services, teams Feather and Berg in multilevel harmonic and whimsical refrains. Feather is fond of stringing worn-out clichés together, as on "Patience," but is in an especially sharp mood about trite multiple sports adages on the bopper "Hit the Ground Runnin'," featuring a furious Russell Ferrante on piano, and tells the all too familiar thoughts-racing, mouse-on-a-treadmill tale of "Where Are My Keys?," turning a dilemma into fun. Also skillful, aside from their lyric content, are her instrumental ideas, like using a horn section and a drummer only on the sassy tale of a career dilemma "Waiting Tables," or the slinky, bluesy Duke Ellington-like "A Household Name," debunking stardom and alerting you to the pitfalls of the celebrity trap. Feather can also be sentimental, as on her romanticized Billy Strayhorn waltz tribute "In Flower," the melancholy "I Love New York at Christmas," and her most languid, evocative tune, "Making It Up as We Go Along." She is rarely self-conscious or insular, but Ferrante's modal two-chord piano prop-up during "Home Alone" keeps Feather's possible dour mood in check, although she can't help being doting on "Very Unbecoming." On occasion, vocalists Tierney Sutton, Janis Siegel, and Cheryl Bentyne enter in supportive vocal cameos. This may very well be Lorraine Feather's best effort, certainly the one where collaboration is the key, and statements on our disposable, technology-driven, time-consuming society had to be made. Bravo Lorraine, and hang in there! ~ Michael G. Nastos

Recording information: Entourage; Visual Rhythm.

Lorraine Feather (vocals); Janis Siegel (vocals, background vocals); Grant Geissman (guitar); Greg "Frosty" Smith (saxophone); Willie Murillo, Gary Grant (trumpet); Andy Martin (trombone); Michael Lang , Russell Ferrante, Shelly Berg (piano); Michael Valerio (bass guitar); Gregg Field, Michael Shapiro (drums, percussion); Cheryl Bentyne, Tierney Sutton (background vocals). Audio Mixer: Carlos Del Rosario.

Language

---

The Manhattan Transfer - The Spirit of St. Louis

Styles: Vocal Jazz
Year: 2000
File: MP3@320K/s
Time: 46:22
Size: 107,7 MB
Art: Front

(2:41)  1. Stompin' At Mahogany Hall
(6:18)  2. The Blues Are Brewin'
(3:28)  3. Sugar
(4:30)  4. A Kiss To Build A Dream On
(3:16)  5. Old Man Mose
(5:29)  6. Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans
(4:11)  7. Gone Fishin'
(5:46)  8. Nothing Could Be Hotter Than That
(4:46)  9. Blue Again
(5:54) 10. When You Wish Upon A Star

You always look for new things from the Manhattan Transfer, and after a couple of releases that weren't too innovative, followed by a three-year gap, suddenly they come out with a really peculiar-sounding, refreshingly weird observance of the Louis Armstrong centennial. It sounds as if they had spent those three years racking their brains trying to come up with a totally different studio sound that's neither nostalgic nor modern. Which is exactly what they've done; the sound is compressed to evoke that of an ancient 78 rpm disc but not any 78 you'll ever encounter, whether by Louis or anyone. You hear all kinds of odd things bumping around in the back like loose parts in a machine, strange electronic treatments of the voices, an accordion wailing through many of the tracks, Delta blues guitar, Cajun, and rock & roll, and even more modern styles (with members of k.d. lang's band and Los Lobos's Steve Berlin joining in). 

The A&R guys probably would have killed to make this CD an exercise in reverent nostalgia  "Do You Know What It Means to Miss Orleans" is the closest thing to it  but a track like "A Kiss to Build a Dream On" with its touch of hip-hop in the rhythm, electronically limited guitar, and strings doesn't sound nostalgic in the least. "Gone Fishin'" is an affectionate, extended Alan Paul/Tim Hauser takeoff on the easygoing rapport between Armstrong and Bing Crosby on their duet version, wisely leaving the funny topical references to the original. "Nothing Could Be Hotter Than That" has some trademark Cheryl Bentyne high-wire vocalese. And to end the album, a normally warm and cozy tune like "When You Wish Upon a Star" opens and closes with a spacy electronic arrangement, with harmonies that thankfully undercut the sweetness, transforming the tune. Louis Armstrong wouldn't have recognized this "tribute," but his younger self probably would have hailed the Transfer's renewed moxie and experimental spirit.  ~ Richard S.Ginell  http://www.allmusic.com/album/spirit-of-st-louis-mw0000619824

The Spirit of St. Louis

---