The Art of Vocalese

Vocalese—setting lyrics to jazz instrumentals—has a long but intermittent history. Duke Ellington himself tried it with his 1940 "Cotton Tail", but vocalese only really gained traction with the 1957 formation of Lambert, Hendricks and Ross (LHR), with ace lyricist Jon Hendricks (who set "Cotton Tail") becoming the pinnacle of the art. So when Janis Siegel cofounded the Manhattan Transfer (1969) and Amy London formed The Royal Bopsters (2012), could Siegel's The Art of Vocalese and London's Alto Madness be far behind?

The nine-track The Art of Vocalese is largely an homage to Siegel's mentor, Hendricks. The songbook classic "Bye Bye Blackbird", as reimagined by Hendricks and Miles Davis, is here a gentle swinger that features guest vocalist Raúl Midón, who offers a vocal trumpet solo in the middle section. "In the Presence and Absence of Each Other", by Claus Ogerman and Michael Brecker and lyricized by Siegel, begins with vocal harmony, then yields to Siegel and tenor saxophonist Wayne Escoffery; percussionist Bobby Sanabria provides a compelling Latin underpinning. For outright fun, Dave Brubeck's "Unsquare Dance", with lyrics by the versatile Larry Kerchner, is performed in a brisk 7/4 time, with an occasional piano riff and a stream of handclaps and hand percussion throughout. Vocals are by Siegel and Lauren Kinhan. Also rhythmically pulsing is the calypso-adjacent Charlie Parker tune, "Barbados". This foot-tapper is supported by John DiMartino (piano), Lonnie Plaxico (bass) and Vince Cherico (drums). Count Basie gets a hat tip with "Down for Double", and "It's Sand, Man" is also a tribute: to dancer Sandman Sims as well as to LHR, who recorded it on their first album in 1957. Siegel takes the lead vocal, with harmonies by Kinhan and original Manhattan Transfer member Laurel Massé. The Art of Vocalese also offers vocals from Lea DeLaria and additional musical support from guitarists Frank Vignola and Ed Cherry.

A fine tribute to the rarefied art of vocalese; destined to be savored by listeners who crave for more, please.