Take 6 Raises 'The Standard' This Week

Multiple Grammy-winning group Take 6 has released a brand-new collection of tunes that showcase their amazing six-part harmonies. The Standard offers a number of reinterpreted jazz classics and features guest appearances by George Benson, Al Jarreau, Jon Hendricks, Roy Hargrove, Till Bronner, Aaron Neville, and Brian McKnight.

The late jazz great Ella Fitzgerald even appears on "A-Tisket, A-Tasket," which matches her original 1938 vocal with the sextet's harmonies.

The Standard also finds the group recording with instruments, something that the vocal masters don't always find necessary at shows. Member Claude McKnight explains: "Generally when we do a show it's primarily a cappella, it's probably eighty-five percent a cappella. We generally have a piano or a keyboard onstage and we take two guitars with us. And like I said we do mostly a cappella material but we intersperse that with a couple of other things to make sure we break it up a bit. More than anything we make sure we're having fun."

Take 6 is celebrating the September 30th release of The Standard with shows last night and tonight (October 1st) at Anthology in San Diego.

By: Janine Coveney

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