Genre
Vocal jazz, jazz fusion, and pop. Extensions marked a pivotal turn in the group's history, embracing jazz fusion and the technique of vocalese — in which lyrics are set to pre-existing instrumental jazz solos — with the guidance of vocalese pioneer Jon Hendricks, who wrote the words for "Birdland."
Release
Released on October 31, 1979, by Atlantic Records. It was the group's fifth studio album and the first to feature Cheryl Bentyne, who had replaced Laurel Massé following a serious car accident in early 1979. The album was dedicated to jazz vocalist Eddie Jefferson (1919–1979), the originator of vocalese, who had been murdered shortly before its release.
Production
Produced by Jay Graydon. Arrangements were shared among Graydon, David Foster, Greg Mathieson, Michael Omartian, Phil Mattson, Gene Puerling, and Clare Fischer. Session musicians included the core of what would become Toto. Basic tracks were recorded at Dawnbreaker Studios, San Fernando, California; overdubs and mixing at Garden Rake Studios, Studio City, California; mastered by Bernie Grundman at A&M Studios, Hollywood. Costume design was by Jean-Paul Gaultier.
Reception
The album reached number 55 on the Billboard Top LP's chart. "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone" reached number 30 on the Hot 100 and number 12 on the Disco chart. "Birdland" — the group's cover of Joe Zawinul's Weather Report composition, with lyrics by Jon Hendricks and vocal arrangement by Janis Siegel — became the most played jazz record of 1980 and won the Grammy Award for Best Jazz Fusion Performance and the Grammy Award for Best Vocal Arrangement for Two or More Voices, both in 1981.
The Manhattan Transfer
The Manhattan Transfer were an American vocal group formed in New York City on October 1, 1972, by founder Tim Hauser (1941–2014), who assembled the classic lineup with Janis Siegel, Alan Paul, and Laurel Massé — later replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. The group signed to Atlantic Records in 1974 and built a unique career straddling jazz, pop, swing, R&B, and vocalese. In 1981 they became the first group in history to win Grammy Awards in both the pop and jazz categories in the same year. Their 1985 album Vocalese received twelve Grammy nominations — the most ever for a single album at the time. Over their career they accumulated ten Grammy Awards from twenty nominations and were inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.
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