Named after John Dos Passos’s 1925 novel and formed in 1969, Manhattan Transfer are best remembered in the UK for their 1977 chart-topper, Chanson D’Amour, recorded for Atlantic.
Though their pop chart heyday may seem a distant memory, the Grammy-winning group (which currently comprises charter member Tim Hauser, along with 70s recruits Alan Paul, Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne) continue to ply their slick, jazz-inflected harmonies with tasteful aplomb. This latest opus is a homage to the music of keyboard maven Chick Corea, and features a cameo by the great man himself, who composed the pulsating, Latin-infused opening cut, New Samba (an extended version of the song closes the album).
Elsewhere, the group applies its intricate four-part harmonies to imaginative deconstructions of several well-known Corea numbers, including a majestic rendition of the classic Return To Forever tune, Spain (I Do Recall), which is driven by an addictive and funky Go-Go style beat. Return To Forever’s repertoire is also plundered for 500 Miles High and Children’s Song, both of which are rendered with the crisp, sophisticated jazz harmonies that have become Manhattan Transfer’s hallmark.
