I Sang At The Apollo with Take 6 ...
... There were several hundred other people singing with them too as part of Carnegie Hall's FREE Neighborhood Concert & Community Sing Series. After leaving the Girl Talk Exhibit @ Renaissance Fine Art Gallery I dropped by the Apollo where a nice lady gave me an extra Take 6 ticket (Thank You again wherever you are). I'd been meaning to drop by the box office every day and just hadn't gotten around to it. I've been to a couple of these community events before and what I like about them is that they are not just a performance but a communal and interactive experience. You get to learn more learn about the artists and their art form.
I know Take 6 primarily from their early 90's hey day, but they have some devoted fans. The place was packed, including the balcony where I was. It was cool to watch their process. The audience was asked to come up with 6 words which they would turn into a song with 6 part harmony. A lady came up with "I Was Born In The Bronx". The group's chief arranger, Mark Kibble, who happened to have been actually born in the Bronx, took to the piano to work out the melody. He then taught each member of the group their part and then rehearsed them separately. Then they blended together for that signature Take 6 sound. People from the audience were asked to join Take 6 on stage and attempt to replicate their sound. Wanna be singers from the balcony were salty because none of them were chosen and in true Apollo fashion started to boo some of the less than stellar performers.
Take 6 has been in the game for a long time and with the exception of one member still has all the original members. You've never heard any 'Behind The Music' drama about these guys. And they still look and sound great. To be able to withstand the ups and downs of the music biz while racking up 21 Grammy noms and 10 Grammy wins is impressive. So when these guys talked I listened and I'm passing on to you some of the knowledge they dropped:
Take 6's 5 Tips for Aspiring Arrangers
1. Form/Join a group that you can try your ideas out on them and get feedback2. Listen and learn from recordings
3. Start with a broad concept and then narrow it
- First figure out what kind of groove - Shuffle, Latin, R&B, Swing, etc. - you want the song to have
4. Conserve Musical Ideas
- Don't try to to everything you've ever learned in one song
- Repeat an idea with a slight twist - Don't reinvent the wheel
- Try variations on a principle
5. Melody Is King!
- Always make sure the melody can be heard, make sure the melody is protected
- Use Oooos instead of Ahhhs
Their latest album The Standard is filled with a cappella versions of Jazz Standards such as 'A Tisket A Tasket', where they "accompany" Ella Fitzgerald, and 'Someone To Watch Over Me' so it is no surprise that they will be at the Blue Note from March 30 thru April 4th
