Couldn't Be Hotter

"A great live set by the vocal quartet who specialize in jazz vocalese, still harmonizing strongly with 30-plus years under their belts." - Goldmine

"This impressive set shows that the Transfer is still at the peak of their collective powers...it's time we acknowleged them as one of the very best of a dying breed, THE classic vocal group. This CD is proof positive . "Couldn't Be Hotter" indeed." - JazzReview.com

"Recorded in Japan, Couldn't Be Hotter fully displays the humor and soaring interplay of Hauser, Siegel, Paul, and Bentyne as they re-establish themselves as the premiere vocal quartet." - Rhythm & News

"Using the modern idiom, this album ROCKS, with more than a nod to Louis Armstrong and Count Basie, with both vocalists and band members having a great time." - Sunday Independent (South Africa)

"Only Manhattan Transfer could make a song like "A-Tisket, A-Tasket" sound hip." - TheCelebrityCafe.com

"Even after 30-plus years, through solos, duos, trios, and quartets, these vocal veterans remain strong in voice, approaching every tune with casual confidence backed with a wisp of whimsy and playfulness." - Singer Magazine

"Twenty-eight years after their debut album, Manhattan Transfer finally capture the magic on their live performances on disc...Couldn't Be Hotter documents Manhattan Transfer at their vocal best." - All-Music Guide

"...jammed with excellent renditions of jazz from the 1930s and 1940s...This is high-energy performing, with fantastic arrangements and great vocal stylings by the ensemble..." - Toledo Blade

"Couldn't Be Hotter is an apt title for this selection of songs performed by four well-seasoned voices, sauteed to perfection and lightly accented with instrumental solos for a veritable musical feast." - Delta Democrat Times (MS)

For over 30 years, the quartet of Tim Hauser, Janis Siegel, Alan Paul and Cheryl Bentyne have combined their voices into an incomparable four-part harmony that has consistently set new standards for vocal music. The Grammy winning group continues to delight fans with the release of Couldn't Be Hotter, The Manhattan Transfer's Telarc debut and their first new live album since Man-Tora! Live In Tokyo in 1996.

The Manhattan Transfer now record exclusively for Telarc. Two new studio recordings, planned by Telarc's recording team as showcases for Surround Sound, are in the works. Janis Siegel has already released two Telarc recordings, Friday Night Special (2002) and I Wish You Love (2003), and Cheryl Bentyne's first Telarc release, Talk of the Town, is due in January 2004.

Easily the most respected and honored jazz vocal group since the '60s heyday of Lambert, Hendricks & Ross, The Manhattan Transfer's influences are as diverse as their sound: Benny Moten's Kansas City Orchestra, Django Reinhardt with the Quintet of the Hot Club of France, and Chick Webb and his Orchestra featuring Ella Fitzgerald.

1930s and '40s swing music with a jazz twist is what The Manhattan Transfer do best, and Couldn't Be Hotter features some of their best hits. The sixteen songs chosen for this special live recording convey the depth of the group's talent and variety of their music. Classic favorites such as "Sing Moten's Swing," "Clouds" and "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," recorded while on tour in Japan, capture the essence of The Manhattan Transfer, and their enthusiasm is evident in these performances.

Officially formed in 1972, The Manhattan Transfer play jazz standards, but they have had hit songs on the pop charts. In 1980, the group earned the first of twelve Grammy Awards for "Birdland," and Siegel received a Grammy for her vocal arrangement. In 1981, they made music history by becoming the first group to win Grammys in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year. Vocalese, their critically acclaimed 1985 album, received an amazing twelve Grammy nominations.

The Transfer's projects have featured such special guests as Ringo Starr, Stevie Wonder, Dr. John and Michael Brecker. They've even worked with Brazilian songwriters Ivan Lins, Milton Nascimento and Gilberto Gil, as they continue to broaden the horizons of music lovers everywhere. The group enjoys considerable success on the road and will be touring in support of Couldn't Be Hotter.

From boogie-woogie to bop to vocalese, Couldn't Be Hotter spotlights The Manhattan Transfer's dynamic, big band harmonies in a live setting. In a career spanning more than three decades, this stylish and sophisticated Telarc debut is destined to become another classic.

The Manhattan Transfer
Alan Paul - vocals
Janis Siegel - vocals
Cheryl Bentyne - vocals
Tim Hauser - vocals, producer
Yaron Gershovsky - keyboards, music director
Tom Brechtlein - drums
Michael Bowie - bass
Wayne Johnson - guitar
Larry Klimas - tenor and soprano saxophone
Special guest Lewis Soloff - trumpet