The Manhattan Transfer

Acclaimed vocal ensemble the Manhattan Transfer earned praise for reintroducing audiences to the harmonized vocal jazz and classic pop sounds that flourished during the 1940s. Capitalizing on a surge of retro interest during the 1970s and drawing from the legacy of acts such as Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, the four members issued multiple collections of jazz standards that blended nostalgic boogie-woogie, bop, and vocalese with fresh infusions of pop and R&B. Their breakthrough arrived via 1979’s Extensions, highlighted by an inventive, Grammy-winning treatment of Joe Zawinul’s “Birdland.” The next year they climbed to number six on the Billboard 200 with Mecca for Moderns, simultaneously becoming the first ensemble to claim Grammy Awards in both pop and jazz categories within a single year. They also reached number two on the jazz charts with 1985’s Vocalese, an homage to singer Jon Hendricks. Further honors accumulated, reaching a peak with an 11th Grammy for Best Contemporary Jazz Performance for “Sassy” from 1992’s The Offbeat Avenues and induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Although personnel shifts occurred, the ensemble sustained its artistic momentum, regularly placing in the top 20 of the jazz charts with projects such as 2000’s The Spirit of St. Louis, a tribute to Louis Armstrong, 2009’s The Chick Corea Songbook, and 2019’s The Junction. In 2022 the group marked its 50th anniversary with Fifty, revisiting signature material alongside Germany’s WDR Funkhausorchester.

The quartet first assembled in 1969 in New York City as something of a hippie novelty outfit reminiscent of the Lovin’ Spoonful or Spanky & Our Gang. Early participants included leaders Gene Pistilli and Tim Hauser together with Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, and Pat Rosalia. This configuration produced the 1971 debut Jukin’, a release more satirical in tone than later efforts, and it marked the final recording by that particular lineup before the members went separate ways.

By 1972 Hauser had reconstituted the Manhattan Transfer, initially teaming with vocalists Laurel Masse and Janis Siegel before adding Alan Paul. The refreshed group built a following through performances at New York venues and then issued its first official album, the self-titled The Manhattan Transfer in 1975. Crafted with assistance from jazz figures including Zoot Sims, Randy Brecker, Jon Faddis, and Mel Davis, the record offered vocalese interpretations of big-band classics such as “Java Jive” and “Tuxedo Junction” plus a Top 40 single in the gospel number “Operator.” It reached number 33 on the Billboard 200, helped rekindle interest in vocalese after a dormancy that had lasted since the mid-1960s, and elevated the quartet’s profile throughout the international jazz scene.

Subsequent releases Coming Out and Pastiche broadened the stylistic palette by incorporating material drawn from Nashville, Los Angeles, and Motown, while featuring guest contributions from Ringo Starr, Booker T. Jones, Dr. John, and additional artists. A ballad from Coming Out, “Chanson d’Amour,” topped the British charts, and both albums registered on the Billboard 200.

Although Masse departed in 1979 to pursue solo work, Cheryl Bentyne stepped in effectively, and that same year Extensions brought forward the group’s signature track “Birdland,” an ode to bop originally composed years earlier by Weather Report keyboardist Joe Zawinul. With lyrics supplied by Jon Hendricks and a vocal arrangement credited to Bentyne, “Birdland” secured Grammy Awards for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices and Best Jazz Fusion Performance.

Throughout the 1980s the ensemble continued to embrace the full spectrum of American song. Mecca for Moderns peaked at number 22 on the Billboard 200 in 1981 and delivered the Manhattan Transfer’s first American Top Ten single, a cover of the Ad Libs’ 1965 girl-group favorite “The Boy from New York City,” while also containing a reading of Charlie Parker’s “Confirmation” and a version of the 1939 standard “A Nightingale Sang in Berkeley Square.” The album further distinguished the group as the first artist to receive Grammys in both pop and jazz categories in one year.

With 1985’s Vocalese, conceived as a tribute to vocal pioneer Hendricks, the Manhattan Transfer leaned more heavily into intricate vocal-jazz settings and stepped back somewhat from crossover pop. Exploration of diverse idioms persisted, however, as evidenced by 1987’s Brasil, an excursion into bossa nova and Brazilian styles that captured the Grammy for Best Pop Performance by a Duo or Group with Vocals. Original material gained prominence as well, yielding another Grammy for Bentyne, Siegel, and collaborator Bill Bodine’s “Sassy” from 1991’s The Offbeat Avenues. Additional concept albums included 1994’s Tubby the Tuba, aimed at children, 1995’s Tonin’ focused on 1960s R&B, and 1997’s Swing devoted to pre-war swing; each reached the jazz top 10. The decade closed with the ensemble’s 1998 induction into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame.

Activity remained high and concept-driven during the 2000s, beginning with a salute to Louis Armstrong on 2000’s The Spirit of St. Louis. The 2004 release Vibrate incorporated a pair of Rufus Wainwright compositions amid its jazz selections, and An Acappella Christmas appeared the following year. The Symphony Sessions arrived in 2006, presenting orchestral re-recordings of well-known material. In 2009 the Transfer honored another major jazz figure with The Chick Corea Songbook, which included input from Corea, Airto Moreira, Christian McBride, and Ronnie Cuber, among others.

During the early 2010s the members concentrated primarily on live performance, though both Bentyne and Hauser required temporary substitutes while undergoing medical procedures. After spinal surgery in 2013 Hauser rejoined the lineup, yet he died suddenly from cardiac arrest in October 2014. Vocalist Trist Curless of the a cappella ensemble m-pact subsequently joined full-time. The group resurfaced in 2018 with the wide-ranging studio album The Junction, dedicated to Hauser. In 2022 the Manhattan Transfer observed its 50th anniversary by issuing Fifty, a collaboration with Germany’s WDR Funkhausorchester Köln that revisited many signature songs through musical arrangements by Jorge Calandrelli and Vince Mendoza and vocal arrangements by säje’s Amanda Taylor.