The Art of Vocalese

I've been a fan of vocalist Siegel's singing for quite some time. I have fond memories of listening to her 1987 album At Home . Which was where I most enjoyed hear it - at home.

Siegel was, of course, a member of The Manhattan Transfer beginning in 1972. She remained with them until they retired in 2023.

My favorite Transfer album was 1985's Vocalese. The album celebrated the lyrics of Jon Hendricks who was a master at putting lyrics to instrumental tracks. That art form is called vocalese. He was also a member of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

Siegel's The Art of the Vocalese features newly discovered lyrics by Hendricks that were written for music composed by Dave Brubeck, Miles Davis, Erroll Garner, Charlie Parker and more.

Pianist and arranger John Di Martino did a great job with these songs as did the other musicians and vocalists that appear on the album.

The Art of Vocalese is a perfect companion piece to the Transfer album. In fact, I listened to them both back-to-back and was thoroughly entertained.