When Cheryl Bentyne joined The Manhattan Transfer in 1979, everything became “just right.” It has been with her that the group has attained its status as the most successful harmony group of all time – each part coming together with an unmistakable chemistry that not only nurtures the group as a whole, but also lets the individual contributions of each partner come through. Cheryl’s are obvious: From her memorable solo in “Meet Benny Bailey” to her portrayal of Lucy in the “Blee Blop Blues” video to her exquisite voicing of Django Reinhardt’s guitar solo on “Clouds” (adapted from Nuages) on SWING, as well as the most recent critically acclaimed Miles Davis solo on TUTU, from Vibrate. Her talents are much of what is The Manhattan Transfer.
So how did it all get started?
In June of 1979, after having already paid plenty of dues, Cheryl was coming out of The Baked Potato, a small jazz club in LA, when her manager asked her if she would like to audition for a spot in The Manhattan Transfer. This was the chance she had been waiting for in her career. She remembers being ecstatic and says that her scream of excitement could be heard for blocks. She was even more excited when she later nailed the audition, and became a member of The Manhattan Transfer.
Cheryl’s energy and style turned out to be the perfect compliment to the group’s already dynamic image. Her debut album with the group was Extensions, which was a landmark album for the group. Cheryl has expanded her talent beyond singing to include composing and vocal arranging. She won a Grammy Award in 1985 with Bobby McFerrin for their vocal arrangement of “Another Night In Tunisia,” from Vocalese. She also co-wrote the lyrics to “Sassy,” from Offbeat of Avenues.
Today, Cheryl not only logs over 200 live performances per year with The Manhattan Transfer, but also wows listeners with her exquisite solo performances, as evidenced on her most recent solo release, The Gershwin Songbook (ArtistShare).
According to Christopher Loudon of Jazztimes:
“Tempting as it is to number Cheryl Bentyne’s The Gershwin Songbook among the most satisfying vocal albums of 2010, such praise is unfairly limiting. Instead it must be lauded as one of the year’s most accomplished albums, period.”
Similarly, jazz critic Don Heckman, in the International Review of Music described one of Cheryl’s recent solo performances, in support of The Gershwin Songbook, this way:
“Dynamic. Enchanting. High spirited. Entertaining. Hard swinging. Those were just a few of the words that came to mind during Cheryl Bentyne’s appearance at Vitello’s on Thursday night. And none of them were really adequate to describe her utterly mesmerizing performance….
Everyone knows Bentyne from her long tenure with the Manhattan Transfer, of course. But, like her other partners in that remarkable quartet, she is less familiar as a solo artist. Which is regrettable. Because Bentyne uses all the sophisticated dramatic artistry she has developed in her decades with the Transfer as the foundation from which to build her unique presentations in the spotlight.”
This wasn’t the first time Don Heckman sang Cheryl’s praises as a live performer. Writing for the Los Angeles Times several years ago, Heckman had this to say about a local performance by Cheryl:
“[T]he evening also included other, more personal facets of Bentyne’s considerable performing talents, particularly evident in ballad numbers such as “Everything Happens to Me,” “Little Girl Blue,” “Sophisticated Lady” and “Black Coffee.” It was in songs such as these that her very real skills as a solo artist were most apparent. Beautifully shaping her melodic lines, finding the inherent drama in harmonic progressions and, above all, singing the lyrics with a clear understanding of their storytelling nuances, Bentyne became much more than a member of a well-known vocal quartet.”
Cheryl enjoys her “underrated” status as a solo musician and performer; it allows her the freedom to focus on her craft as an art form. Recent evidence of such work includes not only her remarkably nuanced interpretations of Gershwin compositions on her latest album, but also a series of vocal delightful collaborations with Mark Winkler in their acclaimed live “West Coast Cool” shows. The San Francisco Bay Times’ 2010 year-end issue called the “West Coast Cool” show among the very top performances of the year by a duo in the Bay Area, adding: “These two blend beautifully & are among the finest in the art of West Coast Cool jazz.”
Cheryl has also added her vocal talent to other artist’s recordings. She appeared on bassist Rob Wasserman’s highly acclaimed Duets album in 1989. Her voice can also be heard on the score of 1991′s hit film, “Mortal Thoughts.”
Cheryl is currently beginning her career as a radio personality on an international Internet radio station, “The Jazz Groove,” which will debut in June of 2011. The Cheryl Bentyne Show will feature jazz vocals as well as instrumentals. Cheryl loves her work on the show thus far and hopes to keep great music alive via Internet radio.
Cheryl is also the CEO of BLISSONGS, a unique spa music label. BLISSONGS’ first release is a vocal interpretation of the seven Chakras, aiming its music to yoga and meditation enthusiasts. Distributors for BLISSONGS already include New Leaf and White Swan. Cheryl will be branching out and developing companion products on the BLISSCENTS and BLISSANCTUARY lines.
Cheryl was recently elected to the Board of Governors of the National Academy of Recording Arts & Sciences (the organization that brings you the GRAMMY Awards each year).
Touring regularly with The Manhattan Transfer provides Cheryl with a unique opportunity to teach master classes all over the world. She even takes on private coaching, when time permits.
Cheryl currently lives in Southern California.
Available now due to popular demand, here’s an annotated discography of Cheryl’s acclaimed solo recordings:
- Cheryl released her first solo album in 1992, entitled Something Cool on Columbia Records. Something Cool was a collaboration with composer/trumpeter Mark Isham, who produced, arranged and performed on the project. Explains Cheryl, “The original concept was to do an updated tribute to the cool jazz singers of the 50′s, particularly June Christy. But Mark did such an incredible job on the arrangements that the songs sound strikingly modernistic and beautiful. These arrangements have brought out a new dimension to my singing, I think. It’s like nothing I ever heard.”
- In 2000, Cheryl recorded and released an original cast album of her new musical revue based the music and wit of Cole Porter. Dreaming Of Mister Porter has played to sold-out audiences and received rave reviews.
- Cheryl Bentyne’s solo CD Talk of the Town won the first of Cheryl’s 3 Swing Journal Awards. Cheryl’s backing band for this album includes Kenny Barron, John Patittuci, Lewis Nash, David “Fathead” Newman, Corey Allen, and Chuck Mangione.
- In 2003, Cheryl released a wonderful DVD called Among Friends. This amazing session features Corey Allen on piano, Grant Geissman on guitar, Kevin Axt on bass, and David Tull on drums. This DVD is not an attempt to “document” a live recording of Cheryl and her band, but instead an exploration of high-resolution recording coupled with aggressive 5.1 channel surround mixing. AIX Records uses no EQ, dynamics processing or artificial reverberation… everything you hear is as the musicians played it. Purchase Here.
- Cheryl Bentyne released two more solo CDs during 2003. Both Moonlight Serenade and The Lights Still Burn were released on King Records (Japan). Purchase MOONLIGHT SERENADE Here. The Lights Still Burn is a mix of pop and jazz tunes with a track list that includes “Black Coffee”, “Killing Me Softly (With His Song)”, “Sophisticated Lady”, “What the World Needs Now” and many more. Purchase THE LIGHTS STILL BURN Here
- Cheryl’s fourth release on King Records is called Cheryl Bentyne Sings “Waltz For Debby” (for which she won her second Swing Journal Award) and remains her biggest seller to date. Waltz For Debby is Cheryl’s most intimate recording, with Kenny Barron and Ray Drummond. Cheryl re- released Waltz For Debby, now entitled The New York Sessions, available on CD Baby.
- Bentyne joined the Telarc label in 2004 with a domestic release of Talk of the Town to rave reviews in the U.S.
- Cheryl’s next release, Let Me Off Uptown (Telarc), pays tribute to the legendary voice and music of Anita O’Day. One of the most hard-swinging vocalists in the annals of jazz, O’Day imbued every song she sang with a unique tonal quality, a compelling improvisational style and an innate sense of rhythm. According to Allmusic.com, Cheryl’s performance calls the pairing “delightful and effective”:
- The Book Of Love (Telarc) includes Cheryl’s collaborations with John Pizzarelli, Wayne Johnson, Bob Sheppard, Corey Allen, and “Take 6″ vocalists: Mark Kibble and Alvin Chea. Purchase Here
- The Gershwin Songbook is Cheryl’s latest recording on King Records in Japan, and on ArtistShare for all other territories. The Gershwin Songbook Produced by Corey Allen. Highlights include, “Fascinating Rhythm/ I Got Rhythm,” “Isn’t It A Pity,” “Summertime (a la Miles Davis/Gil Evans), “But Not For Me,” “Someone To Watch Over Me,” “I’ve Got A Crush On You,” and many other favorites. Critically acclaimed, “The Gershwin Songbook” is available through this website as well as through ArtistShare.com.