The Manhattan Transfer (album)

1975 studio album by The Manhattan Transfer

The Manhattan Transfer

Studio album by The Manhattan Transfer

Released

April 2, 1975 (1975-04-02)

Studio

Atlantic, New York City

Atlantic/WEA

Ahmet Ertegun, Tim Hauser

The Manhattan Transfer chronology

Jukin'
(1971)

The Manhattan Transfer
(1975)

Coming Out
(1976)

The Manhattan Transfer is the second album by The Manhattan Transfer. However, it is the first of four albums to be released by the lineup of Tim Hauser, Laurel Massé, Alan Paul, and Janis Siegel, and the first to establish the sound and style for which the group would become known. It was released on April 2, 1975, by Atlantic Records and was produced by Ahmet Ertegün and Tim Hauser.

This incarnation of the group had been together for three years before this album was released. Ertegün, founder and chairman of Atlantic, attended one of their performances at the New York City cabaret Reno Sweeney. He offered them a contract, which they accepted.

Reviews

Professional ratings
Review scores
Source	Rating
allmusic

Shaun Considine reviewed the album in May 1975 for The New York Times:

"Vocally, The Manhattan Transfer is one of the slickest group's on today's market. Their intro number, "Tuxedo Junction", is a precise recreation of the 1940 Glenn Miller oldie, with the group's four part vocal harmonies and jazz riffs supplanting the Miller instrumentals. They have done their homework; they have studied their old 78s in detail. In the honors section, "Blue Champagne", a Dorsey beauty, and "Candy" evoke all of the magic and hazy charm of the 30s and 40s."

Charts

The Manhattan Transfer debuted on Billboard's Top Pop album chart on May 3, 1975, reaching #33. The single "Operator" went to #22 on Billboard's Hot 100 singles chart.

"Tuxedo Junction" reached #24 on the British pop charts.

Track listing

"Tuxedo Junction" (Erskine Hawkins, William Johnson, Buddy Feyne, Julian Dash) - 3:01
"Sweet Talking Guy" (Doug Morris, Elliot Greenberg) - 2:25
"Operator" (William Spivery) - 3:09 (derived from "Operator, Operator" by Sister Wynona Carr)
"Candy" (Mack David, Joan Whitney, Alex Kramer) - 3:26
"Gloria" (Esther Navarro) - 2:57
"Clap Your Hands" (Ira Newborn, The Manhattan Transfer) - 2:55
"That Cat Is High" (J. M. Williams) - 2:53
"You Can Depend on Me" (Earl Hines, Charles Carpenter, Louis Dunlap) - 3:30
"Blue Champagne" (Frank Ryerson, Grady Watts, Jimmy Eaton) - 2:21
"Java Jive" (Milton Drake, Ben Oakland) - 2:44
"Occapella" (Allen Toussaint) - 3:04
"Heart's Desire" (Hugh X. Lewis, George Cox, James Dozier, Ralph Ingram, Bernard Purdie) - 2:36

Personnel

The Manhattan Transfer

Tim Hauser – vocals, vocal arrangements, arrangements (2)
Laurel Massé – vocals, vocal arrangements, tambourine (2, 6)
Alan Paul – vocals, vocal arrangements
Janis Siegel – vocals, vocal arrangements

Musicians

Don Grolnick – acoustic piano, electric piano (1, 3, 4, 6, 7, 9, 12), clavinet (2, 11)
Murray Weinstock – organ (2, 5)
Richard Tee – organ (3), electric piano (11)
Ira Newborn – guitar, musical director, conductor, arrangements
Jerry Friedman – guitar (3, 6, 11)
Andy Muson – bass guitar (1–9, 11, 12)
Roy Markowitz – drums (1–9, 11, 12)
Daniel Ben Zebulon – congas (11)
Mike Rod – tenor sax solo (1)
Michael Brecker – tenor sax solo (3)
Zoot Sims – tenor sax solo (8)
Gene Orloff – concertmaster (6, 12)

Brass Section

Clarinets – Phil Bodner, Wally Kane and Seldon Powell
Alto saxophones – Phil Bodner, Jerry Dodgion, George Dorsey, Harvey Estrin, David Sanborn and George Young
Baritone saxophones – Lew Del Gatto and Wally Kane
Tenor saxophones – Michael Brecker, Seldon Powell, Mike Rod and Frank Vicari
Trombones – Wayne Andre, Garnett Brown, Paul Favlise, Mickey Gravine, Quentin Jackson and Alan Raph
Trumpets – Randy Brecker, Mel Davis, Jon Faddis, Marky Markowitz, Bob McCoy, Alan Rubin and Marvin Stamm

Production

Producers – Tim Hauser and Ahmet Ertegun
Production Assistance – Geoffrey Haslam and Arif Mardin
Engineer and Remix – Lew Hahn
Additional Engineers – Geoffrey Haslam and Gene Paul
Art Direction – Bob Defrin
Artwork – Fred Eric Spione
Liner Photography – David Gahr
Management – Aaron Russo

References

allmusic review
The Manhattan Transfer: Billboard Albums
The Manhattan Transfer: Billboard Singles
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133, (entered by Joe Cox on 14Nov2010, Stumpjumper27695)
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133
Atlantic Album, 1975, SD 18133

References / Sources

The Manhattan Transfer Official Website
Retrieved from discogs February 1, 2011

v t e The Manhattan Transfer
Cheryl Bentyne Trist Curless Alan Paul Janis Siegel Tim Hauser Erin Dickins Laurel Massé Marty Nelson Gene Pistilli Pat Rosalia
Studio albums	Jukin' The Manhattan Transfer Coming Out Pastiche Extensions Mecca for Moderns Bodies and Souls Vocalese Brasil The Offbeat of Avenues The Christmas Album The Manhattan Transfer Meets Tubby the Tuba Tonin' Swing The Spirit of St. Louis Vibrate An Acapella Christmas The Symphony Sessions The Chick Corea Songbook The Junction
Live albums	The Manhattan Transfer Live Bop Doo-Wopp Live Man-Tora! Live in Tokyo Couldn't Be Hotter
Compilation albums	The Best of The Manhattan Transfer Anthology: Down in Birdland The Very Best of The Manhattan Transfer Boy from New York City and Other Hits The Definitive Pop Collection
Singles	"Tuxedo Junction" "Chanson D'Amour" "On a Little Street in Singapore" "Where Did Our Love Go"/"Je Voulais Te Dire (Que Je T'Attends)" "The Boy from New York City" "Route 66"

v t e Zoot Sims
Years given are for the recording(s), not first release, unless stated otherwise.
As leader or co-leader	The Brothers (and Stan Getz, 1949–52) Jutta Hipp with Zoot Sims (1956) The Modern Art of Jazz by Zoot Sims (1956) Tonite's Music Today (and Bob Brookmeyer, 1956) Whooeeee (and Bob Brookmeyer, 1956) Zoot! (1956) Locking Horns (and Joe Newman, 1957) Stretching Out (and Bob Brookmeyer, 1958) Jazz Alive! A Night at the Half Note (and Al Cohn, Phil Woods, 1959) Down Home (1960) Two Jims and Zoot/Otra Vez (Jimmy Raney and Jim Hall, 1964) Inter-Action (and Sonny Stitt, 1965) Waiting Game (1966) The Greatest Jazz Concert in the World (multiple leaders, 1967) Nirvana (and Bucky Pizzarelli, Buddy Rich, 1974) Basie & Zoot (and Count Basie, 1975) The Tenor Giants Featuring Oscar Peterson (and Eddie "Lockjaw" Davis, 1975) Zoot Sims and the Gershwin Brothers (and Joe Pass, Oscar Peterson, 1975) Soprano Sax (1976) Hawthorne Nights (1976) If I'm Lucky (and Jimmy Rowles, 1977) For Lady Day (1978) Warm Tenor (and Jimmy Rowles, 1979) The Sweetest Sounds (and Rune Gustafsson, 1979) Just Friends (and Harry Edison, 1980) Art 'n' Zoot (and Art Pepper, 1981)
Recordings with Al Cohn	From A to...Z (1956) The Sax Section (Cohn led, 1956) Tenor Conclave (and Hank Mobley, John Coltrane, 1957) The Four Brothers... Together Again! (and Herbie Steward, Serge Chaloff, 1957) Al and Zoot (1957) Blues and Haikus (Jack Kerouac, 1959) SteveIreneo! (and Irene Kral, Steve Allen, 1959) Son of Drum Suite (Cohn, 1960) You 'n' Me (1960) Either Way (1961) Jazz Mission to Moscow (Cohn, 1962) Body and Soul (1973) Motoring Along (1974)
With Quincy Jones	This Is How I Feel About Jazz (1956) The Birth of a Band! (1959) Quincy Plays for Pussycats (1962) Quincy Jones Explores the Music of Henry Mancini (1964)
With Gerry Mulligan	California Concerts (1954) Presenting the Gerry Mulligan Sextet (1955) Mainstream of Jazz (1956) The Gerry Mulligan Songbook (1957) The Concert Jazz Band (1960) Gerry Mulligan and the Concert Jazz Band on Tour (1960)
With others	Pepper Adams Plays the Compositions of Charlie Mingus (1963) Encounter! (Pepper Adams, 1968) Trigger Happy!/East Coast Sounds (Trigger Alpert/Sims, Cohn, Tony Scott, 1956) Chet Baker & Strings (1953–54) Chet Baker Plays the Best of Lerner and Loewe (1959) The Bosses (Count Basie and "Big Joe" Turner, 1973) Louis Bellson Quintet (1954) The Genius of Ray Charles (1959) Jazz Is Universal (Kenny Clarke/Francy Boland Big Band, 1961) Chris Connor (1956) The Book Cooks (Booker Ervin, 1960) Loose Blues (Bill Evans, 1962) The Aztec Suite (Art Farmer, 1959) South American Cookin' (Curtis Fuller, 1961) Creole Cookin' (Bobby Hackett, 1967) The Hawk in Hi Fi (Coleman Hawkins, 1956) Portraits on Standards (Stan Kenton, 1953) The Kenton Era (Stan Kenton, 1953) The Manhattan Transfer (released 1975) Profiles (Gary McFarland, 1966) Something to Swing About (Carmen McRae, 1959) Ms. Jazz (Carmen McRae, 1973) Metronome All-Stars 1956 (1956) The Complete Town Hall Concert (Charles Mingus, 1962) Arranged by Montrose (Jack Montrose, 1954) Encyclopedia of Jazz (Oliver Nelson, 1966) The Sound of Feeling (Oliver Nelson, 1966) Jazzhattan Suite (Oliver Nelson/Jazz Interactions Orchestra, 1967) All the Sad Young Men (Anita O'Day, 1962) Transition (Buddy Rich, Lionel Hampton, 1974) Shorty Rogers Courts the Count (1954) Samba Para Dos (Lalo Schifrin, Bob Brookmeyer, 1963) Moonlight in Vermont (Johnny Smith, 1952) Phoebe Snow (1974) Broadway Soul (Sonny Stitt, 1965) Vaughan and Violins (Sarah Vaughan, 1958) The Duke Ellington Songbook, Vol. 1 (Sarah Vaughan, 1979) Linger Awhile: Live at Newport and More (Sarah Vaughan, 1979) The Jazz Guitarist (Chuck Wayne, 1953) At Newport '63 (Joe Williams, 1963)

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