The Art of Vocalese

The Art of Vocalese by Janis Siegel is a delightful exploration of the vocal style that puts words to jazz tunes and solos. Ben Sidran's informative liner notes give a complete picture of the development of this vocal technique and its primary practitioners.

Siegel was a charter member of the iconic group, Manhattan Transfer, a group known for the many vocalese pieces in their repertoire. For this album, Siegel has a band including John di Martino on piano and keyboards, Lonnie Plaxico on bass, and Vince Cherico on drums with occasional contributions from guitarists Frank Vignola and Ed Cherry, tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery, and percussionist Bobby Sanabria. The tunes include "Barbados (Back to Barbados)" by Charlie Parker, lyrics by Jon Hendricks and Dave Lam-bert; "It's Sand, Man" by Edward A. Lewis, lyrics by Hendricks and Lambert; "Bye Bye Blackbird," Miles Davis version, lyrics by Hendricks; "In the Presence & Absence of Each Other" by Claus Ogerman, lyrics by Siegel; "Unsquare Dance" by Dave Brubeck, lyrics by Larry Kerchner; and "Down for Double," by Freddie Green, lyrics by Hendricks. The entire package gives a glimpse of the eclecticism of vocalese as it is applied to a broad range of tunes. This album is best enjoyed by listening carefully to the vocals to appreciate the artistry involved in creating the lyrics.