Formed in 1975, this four person group is modeled on a saxophone quartet. Most of their albums feature at least one Hendricks vocalese, and the aptly named Vocalese featured Hendricks lyrics exclusively. In addition, they've done at least two Eddie Jefferson songs as well, and several by various other people. Basically, there's nothing they've done in this field that isn't top-notch, though I must say that "Blues for Pablo" is a bit weird for my taste.

Links

• The Manhattan Transfer Fan Club Home Page.
• CDNow's Manhattan Transfer page, with lots of sound samples, reviews, and a live video from the Vocalese tour!

Recordings

Clicking on an album title takes you to the Manhattan Transfer Fan Club discography page for that title, which include lyrics now!

• Extensions (Atlantic, 1979)
  • "Birdland" Hendricks (Grammy winner)
  • "Body and Soul" Based on Eddie Jefferson's vocalese on Coleman Hawkin's solo, the tenses have been modified in the first half and the lyrics of the second half have been rewritten by TMT and Richie Cole to honor Jefferson.
  • "Shaker Song" (?) I'm not sure if this qualifies as a vocalese, but it is definitely based on a Spirogyra instrumental. Credited with lyrics by Allee Willis and David Lasley.
• Mecca for Moderns
  • "Until I Met You" Vocalese version of "Corner Pocket" from Basie's April In Paris. Don Wolf lyrics on the head, with a long (and uncredited) vocalese by Jon Hendricks.
  • "(The Word of) Confirmation" Eddie Jefferson lyrics on a Charlie Parker tune. Features a wonderful Jon Hendricks scat solo as well as a nice Richie Cole alto sax solo.
• Bodies and Souls (Atlantic, 1983)
  • "Down South Camp Meeting" Hendricks vocalese on a Benny Goodman Orchestra recording.
  • "Why Not!" Possible vocalese -- I've heard part of an instrumental version which would presumably have been the original.
• Vocalese (Atlantic, 1985)
  All lyrics are by Jon Hendricks.
  • "That's Killer Joe"
  • "Rambo"
  • "Airegin" Vocalese on the LHR version of this song, with Jon Hendricks singing the vocalese version of his scat solo in the original.
  • "To You" Vocalese from on the version from First Time! The Count Meets The Duke by the Basie and Ellington bands. Alan does a great version of Quentin "Butter" Jackson's trombone solo.
  • "Meet Benny Bailey" James Moody guests on this track.
  • "Another Night in Tunisia" Mostly scat, but Jon Hendricks sings lyrics to a Charlie Parker solo in the middle.
  • "Ray's Rockhouse" Vocalese, original on David Fathead Newman's House Of David. Jon Hendricks scat solo.
  • "Blee Blop Blues" Original is a Basie piece.
  • "Oh Yes, I Remember Clifford" Tribute to Clifford Brown.
  • "Sing Joy Spring" Written by Clifford Brown, the long and totally excellent Janis Siegel solo is vocalesed from Brown's solo.
  • "Move" From Miles Davis's Birth of the Cool.
• Live (Atlantic, 1986)
  Live in Tokyo on the Vocalese tour.
  • "Four Brothers" (Hendricks lyrics)
  • "Rambo"
  • "Meet Benny Bailey"
  • "Airegin"
  • "To You"
  • "Sing Joy Spring"
  • "Move"
  • "That's Killer Joe"
  • "Shaker Song"
  • "Ray's Rockhouse"
• The Offbeat of Avenues (Columbia, 1992)
  • "Blues for Pablo" Hendricks.
• Man-Tora (Rhino, 1996)
  Live in Tokyo on the Body and Soul tour.
  • "Birdland" See Extensions.
  • "Body and Soul" See Extensions.
  • "Four Brothers" From Pastiche.
• Swing (1997)
  • "Stomp of King Porter" Hendricks on Benny Goodman's 1935 recording of "King Porter Stomp" (Victor 25090-A). (I've found this recording (or an identical twin) on Benny Goodman: Let's Dance.)
  • "Sing A Study In Brown" Hendricks on Count Basie Orchestra at the Meadowbrook Lounge, 1937.
  • "Sing Moten's Swing" Hendricks on Bennie Moten's Kansas City Orchestra recording (Victor BVE-74847-1), 1932.
  • "Sing You Sinners" Kurt Elling (?) on Fletcher Henderson and his Orchestra, (Vocalion 4125), 1937.
  • "Down South Camp Meeting" Same lyrics as the Bodies and Souls version, except for lyrics for the very short intro.
  • "Topsy" Partial vocalese? "Additional Lyric by Tim Hauser."
  • "Clouds" Hendricks on "Nuages", recorded by Le Quintette du Hot Club de France, 1940.
  • "It's Good Enough To Keep" Alan Paul lyrics to the Benny Goodman Sextet, (Columbia WCO-6942) 1940.