Manhattan Transfer: How High the Moon

Manhattan Transfer: How High the Moon

And now we come to Manhattan Transfer, or what we later came to refer to as just “the Transfer”. What an amazing run they had—35 years of great tight harmony, jazz, standards and brilliant singing and smart, urbane musicianship. Just four singers,...
The Bobs:  Helmet

The Bobs: Helmet

Continuing this week’s survey of iconic singing groups, I’m drawing again from my youth. The Bobs invented themselves in the San Francisco Bay Area in the late 1970’s. They wrote most of their own material. I was in school at UC Berkeley and one of...
Take 6:  We Sure Do Need Him Now

Take 6: We Sure Do Need Him Now

It’s Tuesday. It’s really hot this July. Tempers are flaring, folks are getting violent (though I’ve read that crime is down 50% over the past 20 years). Politics looks like some wierd version of “Survivor”. What we need is something cool...
Theo Bleckmann:  Duet for One

Theo Bleckmann: Duet for One

I heard Theo Bleckmann perform Duet For One at a Bar Mitzvah, his gift to the initiate.  He is both performer and composer here; the music displays his extraordinary vocal range, not to mention stamina.  Earlier today I played the Duet for Aleba Gartner, who remarked...