Manhattan Transfer offers harmony to Jakartans

Manhattan Transfer offers harmony to Jakartans

JAKARTA (JP): After 24 years in the world of music, one of
American's best-known vocal groups, the Manhattan Transfer, is
still in command of its solid and highly aesthetic vocal
technique.

They proved it in front of their fans last Wednesday night at
the Golden Ballroom in the Jakarta International Hilton Hotel.

Wearing off-white costumes, the quartet of Cheryl Bentyne, Tim
Hauser, Alan Paul, and Janis Siegel opened their single-night
concert in Jakarta with Let's Hang On by Smokey Robinson. The
audience gave little response until the group launched into Boy
from New York City, Operator, Java Jive, Birdland, Trickle-
Trickle from their early album Extension and some of their newer
tunes The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba and Tonin.

In Java Jive, the quartet showed off their skills by
harmonizing to the drums and saxophone. Inspired by a cup of
Javanese coffee, the tune of Java Jive mesmerized most of the
audience who paid between Rp 100,000 and Rp 350,000 for tickets.

"Entertaining, harmonious voices and consistent," said a local
musician who sat in the front row. For many local music lovers,
the music of the Manhattan Transfer became popular in the early
l980s, when vocal groups were mushrooming in Indonesia.

The influence of the Manhattan Transfer's music on local vocal
groups was clear. Take for example the Bandung-based vocal group
The Elfa's Singers or the Chaseiro group, who adopted the
Manhattan Transfer's acapella style.

The Manhattan Transfer also entertained their admirers in
Surabaya, East Java, where they received a standing ovation for
their performance on April 2.

Manhattan's concerts in Indonesia, organized by Buena
Produktama, were part of their Asian tour to promote their latest
album Tonin.

"Our signature is clearly four-part harmony," noted the
group's leader Hausers. "We base our voicings on the structure of
the sax section of the count Basie band, blending soprano, alto,
tenor, and bass voices," he added.

Over 24 years, the group produced 19 albums. Their album
Extensions, earned them their first domestic pop hit Twilight
Zone/Twilight Tone. The album also featured Birdland, the piece
that has since become the Manhattan Transfer's signature tune.
Birdland brought the group their first Grammy Awards as Best Jazz
Fusion performance, and the award for Beat Arrangement for Voice.

In l981, the Manhattan Transfer made music history by becoming
the first jazz group to win Grammies in both the pop and jazz
categories.Boy From New York City garnered them the award for
Best Pop Performance and Until I Met You earned them a Grammy for
Best Jazz Performance.

It was the 1985 release of Vocalese, produced by Tim Hauser,
that became recognized as the group's tour de force. The album
received 12 Grammy nominations and won two categories as Best
Jazz Vocal Performance and Best Arrangement for Voices for the
group's vocalists Cheryl Bentyne and Bobby McFerrin.

In the winter of 92, the Manhattan Transfer released The
Christmas Album featuring classic songs such as Silent Night,
The Christmas Song and Good night.

Two years later, the group came out with a children's album
called The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba, which
received a Grammy nomination for Best Musical Album for Children.
Accompanied by the Naples Philharmonic, the group delivered the
album's important message: "Be yourself, you can't be anybody
else." (raw)