By Steve Provizer

Janis Siegel’s first project since the Manhattan Transfer’s 2023 dissolution honors the lyric-driven jazz practice shaped by Eddie Jefferson and Lambert, Hendricks & Ross.

If you don’t know the word vocalese, it refers to writing and singing lyrics to jazz melodies and jazz solos. Don’t confuse it with scat singing (scatting), which is the use of whatever syllables come to hand to improvise on the chords of a song. Of course, the two are often used in tandem.

What seems to be the first vocalese recording is Bee Palmer singing lyrics to Bix Beiderbecke’s “Singin’ the Blues” solo in 1929; she also mixes in some scat. Marion Harris’s 1934 version is hipper and funnier.

If there is a modern godfather of vocalese, it is Eddie Jefferson, who was a hoofer, drummer, and singer. “Moody’s Mood for Love”—his lyrics, based on James Moody’s solo on “I’m in the Mood for Love”—was recorded in 1952 by Clarence Beeks, a.k.a. King Pleasure, and became a jukebox hit.

In the late 1950s, Dave Lambert—a veteran vocal-group arranger and singer on countless jazz sessions—joined Annie Ross, the writer and performer of “Twisted”, and Jon Hendricks, vocalese’s most prolific lyricist and perhaps jazz’s finest scat singer, to form Lambert, Hendricks & Ross (L, H & R). France produced two comparable ensembles at roughly the same time: the Blue Stars of France and the Double Six of Paris.

In 1969, the vocalese mantle was picked up by the Manhattan Transfer. The second version of that group formed in 1972 and included Janis Siegel, whose album The Art of Vocalese (Origin Records) arrives 54 years later. It is her first album project since the dissolution of the Manhattan Transfer at the end of 2023.

The calypso-flavored Charlie Parker tune “Barbados” starts the LP. Siegel takes it slightly slower than the boppers did back in the day. Taking the tempo down is a common vocalese strategy: when you’re singing a jazz solo, there are a lot of words to get out, and, for articulation and comprehension’s sake, a slight retard can be useful. Here, Siegel does a nice job singing Jon Hendricks’s lyrics to both the Miles and Bird solos. As is true throughout the album, the rhythm section—with Lonnie Plaxico on bass, John DiMartino on piano, and Vince Cherico on drums—is supportive and provides occasional strong piano and bass solos.

“It’s Sand, Man,” a tribute to dancer Sandman Sims, was one of the Basie tunes that L, H & R undertook in 1957 on their first recording, Sing a Song of Basie. That album solidified the place of vocalese in jazz. The studio vocalists hired for the recording couldn’t get it right, so it was decided that the recording would be made by multitracking the three voices of L, H & R. The singing is spectacular, although, owing to the limitations of the technology of the day, the sound quality isn’t great. Obviously, there are no such problems here: the entire recording is crisp but still warm. Siegel takes the lead vocal, while harmony is provided by original Manhattan Transfer member Laurel Massé and New York Voices vocalist Lauren Kinhan. Frank Vignola, on guitar, supplements the rhythm section.

Singer Raúl Midón joins Siegel for their version of a well-known Miles Davis recording of “Bye Bye Blackbird,” with Jon Hendricks lyrics. They have a good feeling for the way Miles plays with time, and the added harmony is nice. Midón does a good job singing the vocalese on Miles’s solo. He then uses his voice for a vocal-trumpet effect, à la the Mills Brothers. The note choices are good, although I a don’t love the sound of trumpet imitations. Siegel enters with pianist Red Garland’s solo. They return to harmonizing the melody and scat an out chorus.

“In the Presence and Absence of Each Other” was drawn from Cityscape, a 1982 release by Claus Ogerman and Michael Brecker. It’s hard to categorize. Call it a jazz-fusion oleo. There are slow- and medium-tempo sections, some dense vocal harmonies à la the Singers Unlimited, and a Latin rhythm section featuring Bobby Sanabria and Vince Cherico. Siegel deftly sings her lyrics to the melody in unison with saxophone. She then ventures off on her excellent vocalese version of Brecker’s solo, followed by a fiery tenor solo by Wayne Escoffery. Siegel and Escoffery reenter in unison, then harmonize the ending.

Singer Janis Siegel. Photo: John Abbott

Dave Brubeck’s “Unsquare Dance” is in 7/4 time, and the lyrics, written by Larry Kerchner, directly allude to that. I like the sparse arrangement. Percussion is supplied by handclaps and hand percussion; the only instrumental elements are occasional spare piano accompaniment and flourishes. Siegel and Lauren Kinhan carry the vocal burden.

“Down for Double” is another Basie track that L, H & R recorded on Sing a Song of Basie. Lea DeLaria joins Janis Siegel in multitracking the harmony. This version sticks less closely to the original than the L, H & R version, substituting energetic scat for some of the Basie section work that L, H & R included. Both women’s voices are up to the task of vocalizing this Basie chestnut.

“’Til the Earth Stands Still,” a ballad written by pianist Joe Zawinul, with lyrics by Jon Hendricks, is given a straightforward, heartfelt delivery by Siegel. A Bill Evans–tinged solo by pianist John DiMartino maintains the placid mood. Siegel takes it out with some melismatic ornamentation.

“Garner’s Stomp” is taken from Erroll Garner’s version of “Stompin’ at the Savoy.” Andy Razaf, a Fats Waller collaborator, originally wrote the lyrics, and Siegel added new lyrics for the background vocals and for Garner’s solo, deftly sung by DeLaria and Siegel. Ed Cherry lends Freddie Green–esque guitar.

“Pick Up the Pieces” was a funk-jazz hit for the Average White Band. Interestingly, the Manhattan Transfer’s first album was being recorded while the Average White Band recorded this song in the studio next door. The production here is as complex as on Manhattan Transfer recordings such as “Birdland.” Using Jon Hendricks’s lyrics, the vocals, altered and unaltered, trace in and out of the background. The Latin rhythm section is mobilized for an alternative clave. Escoffery blows a good tenor-sax solo, with vocals riffing behind him. Guitarist Cherry solos with a Wes Montgomery touch, and Siegel’s scatting alternates with electric-piano obbligatos before the main melody returns to close the tune and the album.

Siegel and her cohorts handle the vocals with aplomb, and the instrumentalists are all top-notch. Siegel’s voice may not have the kick it once did, but her mastery of the style is evident throughout. There’s a solid jazz base here, with a few interesting side roads. If you know vocalese, you’ll recognize some things; if not, this will give you a good overview of the style.

Steve Provizer writes on a range of subjects, most often the arts. He is a musician and blogs about jazz here.