Review: Take 6 Takes the Cake at Birdland

Take note: Take 6 is at Birdland Jazz Club through Saturday, as they take the art of vocal harmony singing to impressive heights. Most of the song treatments by the veteran act that’s been around (with some personnel changes) since the 1980s are a cappella — and that makes the precision and complex combinations all the more impactful and dazzling.  There was real variety in genres in the repertoire on the engagement's opening show, on Wednesday May 1, 2024 (with two shows per night through Saturday May 4th). They employ vocal gymnastics and rhythms (including beatbox and other wordless sounds) in rock, pop, gospel, R&B, and jazz standards, the choice for their upcoming release. So, style-wise, it was definitely one of those “something for everyone” programs and those of us with broader tastes found plenty to please us.   

While they definitely re-invent and re-shape material to make every song a showcase for their special blends, several numbers chosen had mostly been widely known hits in their original forms.  Indeed, some of their applause-winners included proven “winners” for others: an Academy Award winner (“The Windmills of Your Mind”); a song that earned Grammys and a Golden Globe (Christopher Cross’s “Sailing”); one that won the Songwriters Hall of Fame Towering Song Award (“Stand by Me”).  The guys know something about awards for recordings— after all, Take 6 did take many Grammy Awards home and the sextet was blessed with accolades for their numerous religious recordings with several Dove Awards bestowed by the Gospel Music Association. (And Jesus was certainly in the spotlight in their set’s selections, too.)    

They also shone on a lively and exciting transformation of the Beatles classic “Got to Get You Into My Life.”  The gentlemen were at their blissfully beautiful best with exquisite harmonies on “Overjoyed,” a favorite written and first sung by a music giant they’d done their first big tour with: Stevie Wonder.  “Oh, you’ve heard of him?” was the mock-surprised reaction when his name was dropped and some in the crowd clapped or sighed.  Clapping (in rhythm) was elsewhere encouraged as one form of audience participation, as well as occasional urges to sway, echo phrases in call-and-response-style and “Come on, Birdland, let me hear you snap your fingers!” .  Also elicited were shouted answers to questions seeking/expecting positive feedback: to those who hadn’t seen the group before “Do you think you’d come see us again?”; and after a rendition of the Billie Holiday signature “God Bless the Child” we were asked “Do you like that?” and then “Do you think we should put it on the album?”  The revving-up sense of a pep rally started early on, with the greeting queries “Have you come to have a good time?” and “Do you feel good?,” getting a somewhat tepid response and then requesting a more audibly enthused response.  All of this makes some concert attendees feel happily “involved” as part of an event while others aren’t fans of this kind of pep rally atmosphere and “join in” invitations. The most demanding instance was the instruction for us to turn to the people on both sides of us and thank them for being important and changing lives.  Really?  (This was cued by their long-ago personal experience about brushing off a request to pose with someone who “just got out of jail” and later realizing it was none other than Nelson Mandela!)                 

While I find some of those pleas not so pleasing, getting beyond those remarks I have to say that the singing remains remarkably radiant.  The musical message to “Spread Love” has been familiar to the longtime followers for, well, a long time; it was on their eponymous first album and was their first single, gaining their first Grammys.  It still sounds great in the voices of this splendid congregation.  It was written by group members Mervyn Warren, Claude McKnight, and Mark Kibble.  The latter two are still with Take 6, along with (brother) Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea  and Khristian Dentley.  Mr. Chea is the bass voice, Mr. Dentley is the baritone, and the other four are tenors.   
 

If you want to take a little time to learn more about Take 6, see www.Take6.com

And you can buy tickets to Birdland shows by this group and so many others at www.birdlandjazz.com

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