Janis Siegel (born July 23, 1952) is an American jazz singer, best known as a member of the vocal group

The Manhattan Transfer The Manhattan Transfer is a Grammy award–winning vocal group founded in 1969 that has explored a cappella, vocalese, swing, standards, Brazilian jazz, rhythm and blues, and pop music. There have been two editions of the Manhattan Transfer, ...

Musical career

In 1965, Siegel made her recording debut with a group called Young Generation on

Red Bird Records Red Bird Records was a record label founded by American pop music songwriters Jerry Leiber, Mike Stoller, and George Goldner in 1964. Though often thought of as a "girl-group" label, female-led acts made up only 40% of the artist roster on Red ...

. After one single, "The Hideaway", the group disbanded, and then Siegel went on to join the folk trio The Loved Ones (later Laurel Canyon). In 1972, after the original Manhattan Transfer had disbanded, founder

Tim Hauser Timothy DuPron Hauser (December 12, 1941 – October 16, 2014) was a singer and founding member of the vocal group The Manhattan Transfer. He won 10 Grammy Awards as a member of The Manhattan Transfer. Early life Hauser was born in Troy, New Y ...

met Siegel at a party. After recording some demos, she agreed to join the group, and on October 1, 1972, the Manhattan Transfer was reformed. This incarnation of the group has enjoyed international popularity, covering songs from the 1930s through the 1980s in a variety of genres including

jazz fusion Jazz fusion (also known as fusion and progressive jazz) is a music genre that developed in the late 1960s when musicians combined jazz harmony and jazz improvisation, improvisation with rock music, funk, and rhythm and blues. Electric guitars, ...

, R&B, pop, and

doo wop Doo-wop (also spelled doowop and doo wop) is a genre of rhythm and blues music that originated in African-American communities during the 1940s, mainly in the large cities of the United States, including New York, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Chica ...

. The group has received 10

Grammy Award The Grammy Awards (stylized as GRAMMY), or simply known as the Grammys, are awards presented by the Recording Academy of the United States to recognize "outstanding" achievements in the music industry. They are regarded by many as the most pres ...

s during Siegel's ongoing tenure, and was inducted into the

Vocal Group Hall of Fame The Vocal Group Hall of Fame (VGHF) is an American-based hall of fame that honors vocal groups throughout the world in every genre of music. Headquartered in the Columbia Theatre in Sharon, Pennsylvania, it includes a theater and a museum. It was ...

in 2003. In addition to her work with the Transfer, Siegel has maintained a solo career, releasing her first album, ''Experiment in White'', in 1982. In 1985, Siegel joined

Jon Hendricks John Carl Hendricks (September 16, 1921 – November 22, 2017), known professionally as Jon Hendricks, was an American jazz lyricist and singer. He is one of the originators of vocalese, which adds lyrics to existing instrumental songs and rep ...

Bobby McFerrin Robert Keith McFerrin Jr. (born March 11, 1950) is an American folk and jazz singer. He is known for his vocal techniques, such as singing fluidly but with quick and considerable jumps in pitch—for example, sustaining a melody while also rap ...

and

Dianne Reeves Dianne Elizabeth Reeves (born October 23, 1956) is an American jazz singer. Biography Dianne Reeves was born in Detroit, Michigan, into a musical family. Her father sang, her mother played trumpet, her uncle is bassist Charles Burrell, and h ...

in a group called Sing, Sing, Sing. In 2015, she released ''Honey & Air'', a collaboration with John DiMartino and Nanny Assis as the Requinite Trio. She has also been a member of

's Voicestra.

Awards

She won 10 Grammys as a member of the Manhattan Transfer. Her second solo album, 1987's ''At Home'', was nominated for a

Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female The Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance, Female was an honor presented at the Grammy Awards, a ceremony that was established in 1958 and originally called the Gramophone Awards, to female recording artists for quality jazz vocal performan ...

. In 1993, Siegel was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Music from

Berklee College of Music Berklee College of Music is a private music college in Boston, Massachusetts. It is the largest independent college of contemporary music in the world. Known for the study of jazz and modern American music, it also offers college-level cours ...

Discography

* ''Experiment in White'' (

Atlantic The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's five oceans, with an area of about . It covers approximately 20% of Earth's surface and about 29% of its water surface area. It is known to separate the " Old World" of Africa, Europe an ...

, 1982) * ''At Home'' (Atlantic, 1987) * ''Short Stories'' with

Fred Hersch Fred Hersch (born October 21, 1955) is an American jazz pianist, educator and HIV/AIDS activist. He was the first person to play weeklong engagements as a solo pianist at the Village Vanguard in New York City. He has recorded more than 70 of his ...

(Atlantic, 1989) * ''Slow Hot Wind'' with Fred Hersch (

Varèse Sarabande Varèse Sarabande is an American record label, owned by Concord Music Group and distributed by Universal Music Group, which specializes in film scores and original cast recordings. It aims to reissue rare or unavailable albums, as well as newer r ...

, 1995) * ''The Tender Trap'' (Monarch, 1999) * ''I Wish You Love'' (

Telarc Telarc International Corporation is an American audiophile independent record label founded in 1977 by two classically trained musicians and former teachers, Jack Renner and Robert Woods. Based in Cleveland, Ohio, the label has had a long associ ...

, 2002) * ''Friday Night Special'' (Telarc, 2003) * ''Sketches of Broadway'' (Telarc, 2004) * ''A Thousand Beautiful Things'' (Telarc, 2006) * ''That Old Mercer Magic'', with

Laurel Massé Laurel Massé (born December 29, 1951) is an American jazz singer and former member of The Manhattan Transfer. Career Massé was born in Holland, Michigan, grew up in Westchester County, New York, and lived in Europe during her teens. Early in s ...

and Lauren Kinhan as Jalala (Dare, 2009) * ''Night Songs: A Late Night Interlude'' ( Palmetto, 2013) * ''Honey and Air'', with the Requinte Trio (

ArtistShare ArtistShare is the internet's first commercial crowdfunding website.Crowd-Funding 101: What Every Musician Needs for a Successful Campaign It also operates as a record label and business model for artists which enables them to fund their projec ...

, 2015) *
Mazel
', with John Di Martino and Cantor Daniel Kramer (Night is Alive, 2020) *''Cryin' in My Whiskey'' with John Di Martino (Night is Alive, 2021)

As guest

Cheryl Bentyne Cheryl Bentyne (born January 17, 1954) is a jazz singer who spent much of her career with The Manhattan Transfer. Early years Bentyne started singing at age 13 with her father's Dixieland and swing band. Following graduation from Mount Vernon Hi ...

, ''Rearrangements of Shadows'' (ArtistShare, 2017) * Richie Cole, ''Hollywood Madness'' (Muse, 1980) * Richie Cole, ''Bossa Nova Eyes'' (Palo Alto, 1985) *

Frank Colon Frank or Franks may refer to: People * Frank (given name) * Frank (surname) * Franks (surname) * Franks, a medieval Germanic people * Frank, a term in the Muslim world for all western Europeans, particularly during the Crusades - see Farang Cur ...

, ''Latin Wonder: Frank Colon Plays Stevie Wonder'' (Elephant, 2000) *

Lorraine Feather Lorraine Feather (born Billie Jane Lee Lorraine Feather; September 10, 1948) is an American singer, lyricist, and songwriter. Early life A native of Manhattan, she was born to jazz writer Leonard Feather and his wife Jane, a former big band sin ...

, ''Language'' (Jazzed Media, 2008) *

Steve Hass Steve Hass (born May 11, 1975) is an American drummer based in Los Angeles. Originally from Island Park, New York, born to Greek immigrant parents from Athens. He is notable for his technical skill, time feel, and his musical versatility, hav ...

, ''Traveler'' (Hassbeat Productions, 2003) Siegel sings on "People Get Ready", "The Heart of Saturday Night", and "Skylark". *

, ''Freddie Freeloader'' (Denon, 1990) *

Robert Kraft Robert Kenneth Kraft (born June 5, 1941) is an American billionaire businessman. He is the chairman and chief executive officer (CEO) of the Kraft Group, a diversified holding company with assets in paper and packaging, sports and entertainment, ...

, ''Retro Active'' (RCA Victor, 1982) *

Erich Kunzel Erich Kunzel, Jr. (March 21, 1935 – September 1, 2009) was an American orchestra conductor. Called the "Prince of Pops" by the ''Chicago Tribune'', he performed with a number of leading pops and symphony orchestras, especially the Cincinnati ...

, ''Got Swing'' (Telarc, 2003) * Nils Landgren, ''Some Other Time: A Tribute to Leonard Bernstein'' (ACT, 2016) *

Jeff Lorber Jeffrey H. Lorber (born November 4, 1952) is an American keyboardist, composer, and record producer. After six previous nominations, Lorber won his first Grammy Award on January 28, 2018 for Best Contemporary Instrumental Album for '' Prototype' ...

, '' Worth Waiting For'' (Verve Forecast, 1993) *

, ''Spontaneous Inventions'' (Blue Note, 1986) * Bobby McFerrin, ''Circlesongs'' (Sony Classical, 1997) *

Jay McShann James Columbus "Jay" McShann (January 12, 1916 – December 7, 2006) was an American jazz pianist, vocalist, composer, and bandleader. He led bands in Kansas City, Missouri, that included Charlie Parker, Bernard Anderson (trumpeter), Bernard A ...

, ''

The Big Apple Bash ''The Big Apple Bash'' is an album by jazz pianist Jay McShann recorded in 1978 and released by the Atlantic Records, Atlantic label.İlhan Mimaroğlu İlhan Kemaleddin Mimaroğlu (, March 11, 1926 – July 17, 2012) was a Turkish American musician and electronic music composer. He was born in Istanbul, Turkey, the son of the famous architect Mimar Kemaleddin Bey depicted on the Turkish lira ...

, ''String Quartet No. 4'' (Finnadar, 1981) * Renee Rosnes, ''Ice on the Hudson: Songs by Renee Rosnes and David Hajdu'' (SMK, 2018) * Rumer, ''Into Colour'' (Atlantic, 2014) *

Spyro Gyra Spyro Gyra is an American jazz fusion band that was formed in Buffalo, New York, in 1974. The band's music combines jazz, R&B, funk, and pop music. The band's name comes from ''Spirogyra'', a genus of green algae which founder Jay Beckenstein ...

, ''A Night Before Christmas'' (Heads Up, 2008)

References

External links

Janis Siegel.com
* Bio on allmusic.com
The Manhattan Transfer Official Website (requires Flash)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Siegel, Janis American jazz singers American women jazz singers 1952 births Living people Atlantic Records artists Capitol Records artists Telarc Records artists Grammy Award winners The Manhattan Transfer members 21st-century American women