LAUREL MASSÉ FANSITE: Words & Music: A Master Class for Singers

22.1.09

Words & Music: A Master Class for Singers

BRANFORD: Manhattan Transfer Founding Member Laurel Massé to teach Words & Music: A Master Class for Singers - Laurel Massé, founding member of Manhattan Transfer, will join forces with sought-after New York City vocalist and artist consultant Wendy Lane Bailey to teach Words & Music: A Master Class for Singers on Saturday, February 7, from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church in Branford, Conn. The class is designed for singers of all genres and will cover song performance and interpretation; communicating with an audience; sequencing a set; working with accompanists, arrangers, and sidemen; and dealing with the unexpected on stage. In addition to onstage skills, the class will also deal with issues such as creating a visual image, setting goals, networking skills, and basic marketing ideas. Class size will be limited to allow ample personal attention for each participant. Massé & Bailey are interested in gathering a group of students from a broad spectrum of styles. “What we are teaching can be applied to any genre of music from opera to rock. Between the two of us there is a hardly a style of music that isn’t represented, and we believe that versatility is one of the keys to career longevity. What doesn’t change is how we approach the process of putting a set together,” says Massé. They are committed to seeing each of their students succeed both within the classroom and beyond; with that in mind, they work with each student to help them set and meet individual goals geared towards their level of experience and stated desires. The class takes place Saturday, February 7, 2009 from 10:00 a.m. until 2:00 p.m. at the United Methodist Church of Branford. Tuition is $165. Students wishing to reserve space in the class or receive further information should contact Lane Middleton at Park Road Management at (646) 831-0359 or via email at parkroadmanagement@verizon.net. To find out more about Laurel Massé and Wendy Lane Bailey visit their joint blog http://www.twowellread.blogspot.com/, or their websites http://www.laurelmasse.com/ and http://www.wendylanebailey.com/.

LIVE: JaLaLa @ The Egg, 6/5/10

The name JaLaLa is a clever use of the first two letters of the first names of the three internationally acclaimed songbirds fronting the fabulous trio.

Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse and Lauren Kinhan are certainly no strangers to the jazz community. Their considerable vocal talents have long been an integral part of such world-renowned ensembles as Manhattan Transfer (Siegel & Masse) and the New York Voices (Kinhan).

Last Saturday night, vocal sparks ignited the pyrotechnic vocal-fun at The Egg in Albany when these three distinct voices joined forces to sing, swing and scat their way through an uninterrupted set of originals, American jazz, Broadway standards and the classic Johnny Mercer songbook. (JaLaLa’s debut album is a tribute titled, “That Old Mercer Magic!”)

Backing the three chanteuses was a crack rhythm section featuring bassist Steve LaSpina, drummer Deric Dickens and long-time Manhattan Transfer music director/pianist Yaron Gershovsky.

http://www.nippertown.com

Birdland

JALALA = Janis Siegel, Laurel Masse and Lauren Kinhan…three gals who know from vocal groups. Janis has been with the Manhattan Transfer since the beginning. Laurel was part of the original Transfer. Lauren is one of the New York Voices. Happily, they have joined forces for this fabulous vocal klatch called JaLaLa. They sold-out Birdland on Monday night, showing off with their signature harmonies and gorgeous solo vocals, but a dazzling highlight came during the encore. The trio had planned a re-interpretation of the Lambert, Hendricks & Ross masterpiece, “It’s Sand, Man,” but Janis had spied the song’s creater and King of Vocalese, Mr. Jon Hendricks, sneak into the club to catch the act. They invited him onstage (left) to add some extra-special hip to the scene, making it one of the more historic moments we’ve witnessed! Thanks, Ja, La, and La for an amazing night!

http://castpartynyc.com/

LAUREL MASSÉ

Laurel Massé, founding member of Grammy award-winning vocal group Manhattan Transfer, toured internationally for seven years with the group and recorded five albums. In 1979, a serious automobile accident forced her departure. After two years of convalescence, she began touring again both in the States and in Europe. She has released four solo CDs. The first two, Alone Together and Easy Living, both hit the Billboard Jazz charts; the third, Again, was a People magazine pick. Feather and Bone, her 2000 release, was picked by audiophile magazine The Absolute Sound as "a recording of extraordinary musical and sonic value". In 2002 she released Ballads.

Coming Out nº1 in Europe

COMING OUT/BRITISH BPI GOLD LP AWARD 1977

Coming Out sold millions of copies in Europe, where a single from the album, "Chanson D'Amour," hit #1 in France and in England, a chart-topper on both sides of the English Channel. On the strength of "Chanson D'Amour," the Manhattan Transfer toured Europe again, including a show at the MIDEM music business convention in Cannes. In a 1977 interview, Alan Paul remembered how that song was chosen and recorded. "The song was written in 1957. We'd been recording all day and we hadn't gotten that far. Just as we were about to leave, Laurel shouted, 'Hey wait a minute, I've got an idea.' She used an Edith Piaf sound in her voice and we recorded it in one take. She wanted to get a romantic French feel behind it."

The Manhattan Transfer Show/CBS TV

Because of the lack of rehearsal time to learn new material, the Manhattan Transfer mined their catalog for over 30 different songs during the show's four-week run - they went through all their recorded material, the stuff that hadn't been recorded yet, enough music to record a new studio album every Sunday night. "We didn't want to get picked up for another season," said Tim, "because we knew that we couldn't do another season. These shows are put together in a week, and this is why television is what it is.

PASTICHE

Pastiche (Atlantic 19163), lived up to its name - a mixture of various musical styles and genres. By this time, the Manhattan Transfer were experimenting with more open voicings and less block harmony, adding new depth to their vocal precision. Between Pastiche's list of Cole Porter and Duke Ellington songs, the Manhattan Transfer collaborated for the first time with JonHendricks, the vocal jazz legend and one-third of the Lambert, Hendricks and Ross vocal jazz group. The collaboration, "Four Brothers," was originally written by Jimmy Giuffre for Woody Herman's Second Herd. For this song, the Manhattan Transfer replicated - using only their voices and Jon Hendricks' lyrics - the melodies of Zoot Sims, Stan Getz, Herbie Steward and Serge Chaloff, Woody Herman's sax section.

Pastiche Nº10 in UK and nº 1 in Norway

Pastiche sold well in Europe, but could climb no higher than #66 on the American album charts. Tim, Alan, Janis and Laurel toured Europe, playing concerts in support of Pastiche, and listening to different music in anticipation of using some new ideas for a new album. "We had just come back from Europe," said Alan, "we were in Europe for a couple of months touring, and we were scheduled to open in the Roxy Theater in Los Angeles, and we had all these new ideas and things that we wanted to present to the public."

THE BEGINNINGS

The Manhattan Transfer re-emerged as a four-piece, with Janis Siegel (alto), Laurel Massé (soprano), and Alan Paul (tenor), who found each other in a series of happy accidents. Tim Hauser was driving a cab at the time, and picked up passenger Laurel Masse; they got to talking. Tim met Janis Siegel through a drummer acquaintance. Janis had been performing at the Greenwich Village coffeehouse scene with a group called "Laurel Canyon." Alan Paul had been appearing in the musical "Grease!" (Laurel's boyfriend was a musician in the production, and referred him).