Posted on 11/15/2022 4:01:30 PM PST by Steely Tom
Manhattan Transfer performance in London, 45 years ago.
The only MT video I've ever seen that includes Laurel Massé. She was forced to quit the group after a car accident that nearly killed her; she fell asleep at the wheel after a performance in Washington DC. She received injuries that made it very painful for her to stand while performing.
She was replaced in the group by Cheryl Bentyne, another exceptionally talented musician.
This video has been up on YT only two months, and has (at present) fewer than 10K views.
I loved the MT. I used to listen to them a lot back in the 70’s. They were at the top of their commercial game a few years before MTV got everyone expecting to see music videos.
They took a song previously done by the Ink Spots and had a local hit with it. Four part accapela harmony! Smooth as silk.
Java Jive:
I love coffee, I love tea
I love the Java Jive and it loves me..
I listened to my CD of their eponymous album just a few days ago. Always liked that group.
I think my favorite song on the album is “That Cat is High”, with “Java Jive” close.
Actually, there are quite a few videos of Laurel Massé on YouTube if you do a search. Here is a video of her soloing on the Kinston Trio’s Scotch and Soda.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bAXb1gnxoAg
BTW, found this interesting bit of trivia on Wiki: “”Scotch and Soda” was discovered by the Trio through the parents of the baseball player Tom Seaver, who had first heard it in a hotel piano lounge in 1932 when on their honeymoon in Phoenix, Arizona. They liked it so much that they had the piano player write it down for them so it would be “their song.” One member of the trio (Dave Guard) was dating Seaver’s older sister (Katie) at that time, and heard the song on a visit to the Seaver home. Although it is credited to Guard (he had it copyrighted in his name on March 30, 1959), the trio never discovered the real songwriter’s name, though they searched for years.”
I’ll be watching the whole thing later tonight. I remember listening to KHOW Denver and hearing them doing the Java Jive and wondering who this amazing group was. So I went to a record store and assuming I’d get a blank stare, asked...and took home three MT LPs that day.
Annie Ross did the original "Twisted" song (covered by Joni Mitchell with Cheech & Chong)
Bookmark
I got to be their local USO escort officer in Wiesbaden W. Germany back in the late 70s. I enjoyed their performance in the DFAC at Wiesbaden AB, even though it was not acoustically optimal.
Puts me in the mood for some Pointer Sisters.
The Pointer Sisters were good, but I liked the Andrews Sisters even better.
Wonderful!
“Puts me in the mood for some Pointer Sisters.”
Oh yeah their first few albums were full of some great harmonies like this stuff. “Old Songs”, “Steam Heat”, etc.
Their 80s stuff was still pretty good but a whole different style. Anytime I play their early stuff for people they never guess it’s the Pointer Sisters since most people have only heard the 80s hits.
I love “Operator”. When my niece and nephew were very young, I got them hooked on it. Now they’re in their 40s and still remember when we drove around singing it loudly.
Back in the day, I saw MT at a local jazz club here in Dayton, OH - incredible voice stylings.
Listening/Watching while sitting at our table with drinks brought by a waitress was quite the night!
They did Weather Report’s “Birdland” - absolutely amazing reproduction of WR’s instruments.
I was 18 when I heard them for the first time. I liked their rendition of Little Town in Singapore and My Gal From Calico. I’m not even sure if those are the correct titles of these songs but I think they were remakes of 40’s songs.
I've done "deep dives" into Manhattan Transfer and Laurel Massé on a couple of occasions, back in the early days of YouTube. Last time was maybe seven years ago. At that time, I didn't anything except still pictures of her. I guess that's changed.
Perhaps the unfortunate passing of Tim Hauser has brought more interest to the group and more videos out of the woodwork, so to speak.
Why did you get the job? Do you have a musical background?
No driving involved - just meet up at the venue & ensure everything went smoothly for them. The tour had another officer assigned to escort them all over USAREUR & my job was just when they were in Wiesbaden. I got the job by pure chance on the local duty roster for such assignments. Other times that same duty roster had me assigned as the CLASS VI inventory officer and another time doing a Line of Duty investigation for an injury to a soldier while riding his motorcycle.
Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.