[Dixielandjazz] Tim Hauser, Jon Hendricks, Janis Siegel interviewed - New York Daily News

[Robert Ringwald]

How Manhattan Transfer's 'Vocalese' Went from 'Crazy' to Grammy
by Greg Thomas
New York Daily News, June 21, 2012
When Manhattan Transfer founder and singer Tim Hauser first pitched the now-classic
1985 record "Vocalese," music industry legend Ahmet Ertegun was firmly against it.
"He paced back and forth, and screamed and yelled at me," Hauser says, recalling
Ertegun's reaction. "'You're crazy. It's not going to sell, it's not going to work,'"
he said. "I held my ground."
The bottom line: "It was very difficult, but I walked out with his approval."
A decade earlier, Ertegun had signed the group to a contract with Atlantic Records.
By this time, Manhattan Transfer had a string of hits, including "Operator," "Twilight
Zone/Twilight Tone," "Route 66," "Until I Met You (Corner Pocket)," and the anthem
"Birdland."
The hit machine known as Manhattan Transfer, celebrating its 40th anniversary, will
perform this Friday at Tarrytown Music Hall.
One key player, singer Janis Siegel, joined the group in the early 1970s. She says
the Manhattan Transfer talents had settled into a formula: a cappella tunes, doo
wop, jazz, some "vocalese" and, as always, hits. The record label wanted two hits
per record.
That's why the recording before "Vocalese" was a decidedly commercial effort. Yet
"Bodies and Souls" wound up falling "on its face," Hauser admits.
"That didn't work," he says, "so we decided to do something that's a lot different."
That new approach, "Vocalese," garnered 12 Grammy nominations, won two and was the
group's second-biggest seller out of 25-plus recordings.
As a musical practice, vocalese is defined as the art of rendering lyrics to jazz
melodies, ensemble passages and solos. The living master of vocalese, lyricist and
singer Jon Hendricks, co-founded the legendary group Lambert, Hendricks and Ross.
Hendricks pioneered the vocalese interpretation of big band arrangements by Count
Basie and Duke Ellington, among others.
Hendricks penned the lyrics to "Birdland," and all the lyrics on "Vocalese," including
the incredible "Joy Spring," an original by trumpeter Clifford Brown.
Both Siegel and Hauser believe "Joy Spring" is Hendricks' masterpiece, expressing
his philosophy about life and spirituality.
Hendricks explains that his first goal was to "match Clifford's sound, his exactitude."
The message of the song is that the "spring of sheer joy inside is what nurtures
us all: It cannot be bartered and cannot be sold."
Hauser says he considers Hendricks "like a father." Hendricks, in turn, holds Manhattan
Transfer in high regard.
"The 'Vocalese' record was a great homage," Hendricks says. "They've always been
very respectful. That's one of the reasons I was attracted to them."
Hauser, who hails from Troy, N.Y., co-founded the first iteration of Manhattan Transfer
in the late 1960s. Although a professional singer from age 15, he had stints in the
Air Force, as a marketing manager and in odd jobs such as taxi driving. That was
a fateful choice. Through his cab driving he met Siegel, Hendricks, and Laurel Masse,
an original member of the second formation of Manhattan Transfer.
When it comes to the group's style, Siegel, the main vocal arranger, sees many influences.
They include the Kingston Trio and the sounds of the Mills Brothers, the Modernaires,
the Four Freshmen, the Hi-Lo's, the Four Vagabonds, the Pied Pipers and the Ink Spots.
"Generally, the concept of our group was to explore facets of American music that
we felt were neglected in the popular arena," Siegel says. "Things like swing, bebop
and big band music."
The group, like the sound, has evolved over the years. Alan Paul was performing in
a Broadway production of "Grease" when he met Hauser, Siegel and Masse. He was an
inspiration for the "performing side of the band," says Hauser. "He got us to develop
those chops and have a consciousness about developing a look."
After Masse fell ill, Cheryl Bentyne joined Manhattan Transfer in 1979. Bentyne is
now recovering from a bout with Hodgkin's lymphoma; the fine vocalist Margaret Dorn
will substitute on Friday.
"When Cheryl came into the band," Hauser says, "the contribution that she made both
as a soloist and in the overall sound is far greater than she herself realizes. We
got even better."