A cappella powerhouse Take 6 marks a new jazz vocal milestone with The Standard. Winners of 10 GRAMMY Awards, 10 Dove Awards, one Soul Train Award and two NAACP Image Award nominations, the influential sextet - Mark Kibble, Claude V. McKnight III, Dr. Cedric Dent, David Thomas, Alvin Chea and Joey Kibble - raises the bar with a recording of mostly jazz (and some R&B) standards, including "Straighten Up and Fly Right," "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," "Someone To Watch Over Me," "What's Going On" and "Windmills of Your Mind."
The Standard features guest appearances by veteran jazzmen George Benson, Al Jarreau, Jon Hendricks, Roy Hargrove, Till Brönner and others, as well as R&B luminaries Aaron Neville and Brian McKnight (Claude's brother).
Take 6 gives definitive vocal treatments to such jazz classics as "Sweet Georgia Brown," "Straighten Up and Fly Right" with vocalist/guitarist George Benson, "Someone to Watch Over Me" with trumpeter Roy Hargrove, and "Seven Steps to Heaven" with Jon Hendricks, Al Jarreau and German flugelhornist Till Brönner (featuring new lyrics by Jon Hendricks). The Standard's crowning glory is a version of "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," Ella Fitzgerald's signature song - created in the studio using her original vocal from the classic 1938 Decca Records 78.
Other highlights include "Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans" with Aaron Neville, Marvin Gaye's "What's Going On" with Brian McKnight, Quincy Jones' "Grace" and "Windmills of Your Mind" (from the 1968 film The Thomas Crown Affair).
Customer Reviews:
Avg. Customer Rating: 5.0 / 5.0
Still the Finest Sounding A Capella Group Around:
I've expressed my profound admiration for Take 6 before. To repeat myself, I thought the first c.d. and "So Much 2 Say" were two of the finest a capella recordings ever made; but I became profoundly disappointed when the group went pop in "Join the Band." So, I ignored them for about 12 years. Then, I became excited when the group released "Feels So Good" in 2006, and returned to its rich gospel roots. But when I heard they were following up that one with this c.d. regarding standards, I thought, "Oh, no,... more info
Amazing !!:
This work of Take 6 is amazing. I`m a jazz collector and I love this group, Jorge from Patagonia Argentina.
A cappella at its best:
I've waited years for this amazing a cappella gospel group to make a recording of jazz standards, and the results were worth the wait. Their incredibly tight harmonies, ambitious arrangements (kudos to Mark Kibble), and glorious ensemble sound bring a cappella singing to another level entirely. Sweet Georgia Brown is pure joy, Straighten Up And Fly Right is pure swing, and A Tisket A Tasket is pure fun. There's also a lushly beautiful Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans, with Aaron Neville's... more info
The Standard is AWESOME!!!!!:
Take 6 has outdone themselves once again with their new CD "The Standard"!!! I have been a fan of this group for many years and I absolutely love their music! The collaborations on the CD rocks! I would definitely recommend "The Standard" for anyone who is a major fan of Take 6!!
Tracks:
Sweet Georgia Brown - Take 6, Pinkard, Maceo
Straighten Up and Fly Right - Take 6, Cloe, Nat
Seven Steps to Heaven - Take 6, Davis, Miles
Windmills of Your Mind - Take 6, Bergman, Alan
Someone to Watch Over Me - Take 6, Gershwin, George
Grace (Reprise) - Take 6, Jones, Quincy
Back to You - Take 6, McKnight, Claude
A-Tisket, A-Tasket - Take 6, Fizgerald, Ella
Bein' Green - Take 6, Raposo, Joe
Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans - Take 6, Alter, Louis
What's Going On - Take 6, Benson, Renaldo
Shall We Gather at the River - Take 6, Lowry, Robert
