This week, I’ve had The Manhattan Transfer’s “Java Jive” #OnRepeat. While doing some research for the topic, vocalese, I came across this group and this song, which is actually an arrangement that my choir sang back in high school. Even just thinking about the title makes me automatically sing through my second alto part in my head because I love this song so much and there are so many fond memories attached to it.

The Manhattan Transfer is a Jazz vocal group that was founded in 1969. Interestingly enough, the group initially disbanded after their first album had poor commercial success and a bad creative approach that wasn’t well received. Then, in 1972, another version of the group formed and recorded the album, The Manhattan Transfer. The group’s music consists of Jazz standards, A Cappella, Vocalese, Swing, R&B, Pop, and Brazilian Jazz. They have received several Grammy Awards and nominations for their work, and were even inducted in the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998. Some of their most well-known songs are “Tuxedo Junction,” “Route 66,” “Mystery,” and “Sassy.”

“Java Jive” is a song written by Ben Oakland and Milton Drake in 1940. The song was originally performed by The Ink Spots, a Pop vocal group that was popular during the 1930s and 1940s. “Java Jive” is an upbeat song expressing love for coffee that uses common phrases and cultural references from the 1940s. The Manhattan Transfer’s version of this song is the sound you think of when you think of this group: tight, four-part harmony, precise phrasing and Jazz riffs reminiscent of the 1930s and 1940s. Each voice alone is bright and strong, but together creates a warm, full sound that you look for in a vocal group with just the right amount of swing.

Take a listen below:

Do you have a singer or group that you can’t stop listening to? Leave a comment below!

This week, I’ve had Lizz Wright’s “Nature Boy” #OnRepeat. This song is actually one of the first Jazz standards I ever sang, and I have always loved revisiting this version whenever I try to find new ways to interpret this song. I believe that trying to find different approaches to performing the same song helps you to develop your creative skills and helps you to progress as a musician; so listening to different musicians’ versions of a standard aids in this discovery. Lizz Wright is a beast of a singer, so she is probably one of the best musical resources to tap for this process.

The song, “Nature Boy,” was first recorded by Nat King Cole and was released in 1948. The song was originally written by eden ahbez, a songwriter who lived a vagabond lifestyle that would later inspire the hippie movement of the 1960s. The lyrics in the song supposedly depict the songwriter’s demeanor and lifestyle, with hints of haplessness, mysticism, and wisdom. The lyrics and music give you the impression that ahbez has experienced great loss or pain, and through this had discovered a common, universal truth.

Lizz Wright, who is a Jazz and Gospel singer, captures the eclectic nature of this song perfectly. She takes the melody and rhythm, manipulating both so much that you would have a heard time identifying the original song within her new arrangement (she has completely made the song her own). Her ability to take rhythmic and melodic risks (using or picking notes or melodic phrases that your ear wouldn’t associate with the original tonality of the song) and the confidence she has when taking these risks make her interpretation of “Nature Boy” incredibly unique and poignant.

Take a listen below:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Ku6fS3qPM0

Is there a singer or group that you can’t stop listening to? Let us know in the comments below!