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Take 6

TAKE 6 is the most awarded a cappella group in history, with ten Grammy’s, ten Dove Awards (Gospel Music Awards), Best Jazz Vocal Group honors for seven consecutive years in Downbeat’s prestigious Reader’s and Critic’s Poll, a Soul Train Music Award, BRE (Black Radio Exclusive) Vocal Group of the Year, two NAACP Image Award nominations, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame and countless other musical and humanitarian citations.

Showing the global appeal of this phenomenal group, they celebrated their 25th Anniversary last year with a World Tour including stronghold favorite markets Asia, South America, eastern and western Europe and the United States and TAKE 6 opened up new markets with debut tours of Australia and Canada. They receive rave reviews and overwhelming audience reception wherever they go. From New York’s famed Blue Note to the Montreux Jazz Festival, from PBS to ABC-TV specials, they remain the quintessential and pre-eminent a capella group in the world, working harder than ever, and loving every minute of it.

Most recently, TAKE 6 had the honor of being the first American vocal group to perform in Cuba since diplomatic relations were restored. One of the Public Diplomacy officers wrote after the concert, “The group elicited a response I’ve yet to see many groups here do, and in some form helped to advance U.S. diplomacy and interests in ways that our formal process could not.”

For those who have patiently waited for new music from the sextet, wait no more! The group has signed with SoNo Recording Group and will release a new album, Believe, in 2016 with lots of surprises. The first single, just released, is “When Angels Cry” catering to their gospel roots and just in time for the holidays. take-6-stevie-wonder

TAKE 6 knows no musical bounds. Heralded by Quincy Jones as the “baddest vocal cats on the planet!”, TAKE 6 (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley), is the quintessential a cappella group and the model for vocal genius. They have redefined the standards for vocal music. The sextet has recorded and/or performed with an impressive array of talent, past and present, including Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Al Jarreau, Don Henley, James Taylor, k.d. lang, Patti Austin, Randy Travis, Queen Latifah, Sheryl Crow, Branford Marsalis and BeBe & CeCe Winans. They’ve performed on film soundtracks including Spike Lee’s Do The Right Thing, John Singleton’s Boyz In The Hood, Warren Beatty’s Dick Tracy, David Mamet’s Glengarry Glen Ross, and the theme song to the TV series Martin.

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Album Review

Jeremy Cohen: Raymond Scott Reimagined

Read "Raymond Scott Reimagined" reviewed by Walter Atkins


Raymond Scott Reimagined is an engaging collaborative project with Quartet San Francisco, Gordon Goodwin's Big Phat Band and the Grammy winning acapella group Take 6 on two tracks. The album is a thoughtful and stylish interpretation of Raymond Scott's legacy. It is also interspersed with audio tidbits featuring Scott's singular musical approaches. The album kicks off with the enticing “Powerhouse," familiar to anyone who has watched a Warner Bros Looney Tunes cartoon. “Toy Trumpet" is a tasty composition ...

323
Album Review

Take 6: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Read "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" reviewed by C. Michael Bailey


A capella group Take 6 produces little more than an extended play CD with its holiday offering, The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Ten songs clocking in at a slim 33 minutes make the disc a disappointment, save for that precious 33 minutes where the sextet does what it does best: sing. Opting for a majority of secular carols, the group concentrates largely on the popular Christmas canon. Most outstanding among the 10 selections is the ...

186
Album Review

Take 6: The Most Wonderful Time of the Year

Read "The Most Wonderful Time of the Year" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


A recording act that's been around a while eventually presents a holiday album. Take 6, the a cappella jazz group whose roots lie on the campus of Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., brings The Most Wonderful Time of the Year. Claude V. McKnight III formed a group known as Gentlemen's Estate Quartet, which was later joined by Mark Kibble. After a few lineup and name changes, the group became Take 6 in 1987. The group has earned several ...

382
Album Review

Take 6: The Standard

Read "The Standard" reviewed by Woodrow Wilkins


From the first notes of “Sweet Georgia Brown," the listener knows this will be a treat. The a capella vocal group known as Take 6 updates several classic with vigor on The Standard, and their swinging harmonies set them apart from other vocal acts.Claude McKnight, elder brother to R&B star Brian McKnight, co-founded the group in 1980 at a parochial college in Alabama. Though there have been many personnel changes, the style was unbending: blend six voices in ...

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3

Recording

‘Raymond Scott Reimagined,’ The Unprecedented Musical Journey Featuring Quartet San Francisco, Gordon Goodwin & Take 6 Is Available Now

‘Raymond Scott Reimagined,’ The Unprecedented Musical Journey Featuring Quartet San Francisco, Gordon Goodwin & Take 6 Is Available Now

Source: 1888 Media

Violinjazz Recordings, the label of acclaimed Grammy-nominated musician Jeremy Cohen, principal violinist and founder of Classical Crossover specialists Quartet San Francisco, has announced the release of ‘Raymond Scott Reimagined,’ an unprecedented new collaboration teaming Quartet San Francisco with accomplished Grammy/Emmy Award-winning composer/producer/arranger Gordon Goodwin and revered Grammy-winning a cappella group Take 6. The thrilling 14-track collection, which includes Goodwin’s fresh arrangements of eight Scott classics, including mainstays “Powerhouse,” “Twilight in Turkey,” “Huckleberry Duck,” “The Quintette Goes to a Dance” and ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Take 6, Tatsuya Nakatani, Bonerama, Xmas jazz around town, and more

Jazz this week: Take 6, Tatsuya Nakatani, Bonerama, Xmas jazz around town, and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

It's going to be a busy few days for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, and though a couple of high-profile shows are sold out (or nearly so), there's still going to be plenty of music- holiday and other- available on local stages. Let's go to the highlights. Wednesday, December 13 Acappella vocal group Take 6 returns for the first of four nights at Jazz at the Bistro. The run of shows was described by Jazz St. Louis on ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz this week: Manhattan Transfer & Take 6; Cassity, Jensen & Wolfe; and more

Jazz this week: Manhattan Transfer & Take 6; Cassity, Jensen & Wolfe; and more

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

While this week's concert calendar isn't as jam-packed with jazz and creative music as last week's almost-insane schedule, there still are several noteworthy shows happening over the next few days, including a long-anticipated concert teaming up two of the top jazz-influenced vocal groups in the world, and more. Let's go to the highlights... Also on Thursday, the New Orleans Suspects are back in town for another performance at the Broadway Oyster Bar, and singer Erin Bode returns to Cyrano's. Friday, ...

7

Recording

Sasha’s Bloc Partners With Grammy-winning Vocal Group Take 6 On New Single "Runaway Blues,” Available Digitally Today

Sasha’s Bloc Partners With Grammy-winning Vocal Group Take 6 On New Single "Runaway Blues,” Available Digitally Today

Source: Miles High Productions

The critically acclaimed jazz collective Sasha’s Bloc has teamed up with the ten-time Grammy-winning vocal group Take 6 to release their new single, “Runaway Blues.” This enticing track blends the big band jazz sound from Sasha’s Bloc with the smooth gospel tones of Take 6 and is currently available on iTunes and other major digital outlets. The single’s accompanying music video, which documents the groups’ recording session at the legendary Capitol Records, is also available now (you can view it ...

Performance / Tour

Jazz This Week: The Wee Trio, Take 6, J.D. Parran and George Sams, Scott Kirby, Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola, and More

Jazz This Week: The Wee Trio, Take 6, J.D. Parran and George Sams, Scott Kirby, Charlie Hunter and Scott Amendola, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

With spring appearing finally to have sprung here in St. Louis, it should be a fine weekend to get out and hear some live jazz and creative music, and fortunately, our local stages will be filled with intriguing possibilities. Let's go to the highlights... Tonight, Good 4 The Soul plays their monthly gig at  BB's Jazz, Blues & Soups; Washington University's jazz studies students will perform a free concert to wrap up this semester's Jazz at Holmes series; the Lemp ...

21

Recording

Ten-Time Grammy-winning Acapella Sextet Take 6 Celebrate 25th Anniversary With "One"

Ten-Time Grammy-winning Acapella Sextet Take 6 Celebrate 25th Anniversary With "One"

Source: 1888 Media

Huntsville, AL: With the popularity of televised vocal competitions like the explosive a cappella show The Sing Off and the mania over singing driven comedy dramas like Glee, Take 6 is the original torchbearer for the first instrument. The ten-time Grammy and ten-time Dove winners, Take 6, (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley) celebrate their 25th Anniversary this year and have a lot to be grateful for. The distinguished Gospel/Jazz vocal group, heralded ...

65

Festival

Jazz This Week: Take 6, David Torkanowsky and Peter Martin, U City Jazz Festival, and More

Jazz This Week: Take 6, David Torkanowsky and Peter Martin, U City Jazz Festival, and More

Source: St. Louis Jazz Notes by Dean Minderman

As fall officially begins, it's another fairly busy week for jazz and creative music in St. Louis, so let's go straight to the highlights: Tonight, the vocal group Take 6 will make their debut at Jazz at the Bistro, continuing with two sets a night through Saturday. Though primarily known as gospel and pop performers, Take 6 do have some jazz cred as well, both for the lush harmonies they've deployed skillfully throughout their career, and more specifically for their ...

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TV / Film

New Jazz It Up! Episode Features: Kenny Garrett, Take 6, Hank Jones and Gene Bertoncini, Vintage Bill Evans and Jazzmobile 45th Anniversary Celebration

New Jazz It Up! Episode Features:  Kenny Garrett, Take 6, Hank Jones and Gene Bertoncini, Vintage Bill Evans and Jazzmobile 45th Anniversary Celebration

Source: Michael Ricci

New York, NY – Saxophonist Kenny Garrett and vocal group Take 6 headline as the featured artists of the latest episode of Jazz it Up! Garrett’s blistering alto sax fronts a high octane ensemble at the Iridium club, while Take 6 offers intense renditions of cuts from Miles Davis’ Kind of Blue. During the second of their two featured numbers, members of Take 6 explain why they finally released a straight-ahead jazz recording, and Garrett discusses his current stage of ...

82

Performance / Tour

Take 6 in Los Angeles

Take 6 in Los Angeles

Source: Michael Ricci

The multi-Grammy Award winning vocal ensemble Take 6 makes a rare Los Angeles appearance on Sunday evening, August 16th at the Nate Holden Performing Arts Center in Los Angeles. The special concert benefits the Symphonic Jazz Orchestra’s “Music in the Schools” program, which has served over 18,000 students throughout Los Angeles County. The evening features songs from their recent release “The Standard” and includes a pre-concert wine and cheese reception. Tax-deductible tickets are $60 per person, with a very limited ...

163

Recording

Take 6 & Aaron Neville Record Louis Armstrong Classic--Proceeds to Benefit New Orleans Charity

Take 6 & Aaron Neville Record Louis Armstrong Classic--Proceeds to Benefit New Orleans Charity

Source: All About Jazz

Ten-time Grammy winning sextet Take 6 have partnered with legendary song stylist Aaron Neville to record the 1946 Louis Armstrong classic, “Do You Know What It Means To Miss New Orleans."

For 60 days beginning March 7, the song will only be available through the online digital download site, iTunes, and the artists' share of the proceeds from the sale of the song will benefit Neville's favorite charity, New Orleans area Habitat for Humanity. Following its run on iTunes, the ...

Photos

Concerts

Apr 26 Fri
Take 6
Clyde Theatre
Fort Wayne, IN
Apr 27 Sat
Take 6
Mcg Jazz
Pittsburgh, PA
Apr 27 Sat
Take 6
Mcg Jazz
Pittsburgh, PA

Music

Recordings: As Leader | As Sideperson

Raymond Scott...

ViolinJazz Recordings
2023

buy

The Most Wonderful...

Heads Up International
2010

buy

The Most Wonderful...

Heads Up International
2010

buy

The Standard

Warner Bros. Records
2008

buy

The Standard

Heads Up International
2008

buy

Beautiful World

Warner Bros. Records
2002

buy

Cutey and the Dragon

From: Raymond Scott Reimagined
By Take 6

Toy Trumpet

From: Raymond Scott Reimagined
By Take 6

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