Take 6 Combines R&B, Soul, Jazz, and Gospel in A Cappella Feast of Sound

Media Contact:

Kristen Gleason
Director of Marketing
The Paramount Theater
215 East Main Street
Charlottesville, VA 22902
434.979.1922 ext. 103
kristen@theparamount.net

For Immediate Release

March 13, 2008

Patently original, with timeless musical artistry, a capella group Take 6 is three parts gospel, one part jazz, a dash of pop, and a touch of R&B that equal six parts of soulful harmony. The most nominated gospel, jazz, pop, or R&B vocal group in Grammy-history, Take 6 ingeniously blends all these genres in a delicious, spirit-soaring feast of sound.

With complex jazz harmonies and vocal pyrotechnics that manifest as an uplifting, funky, inspirational joy ride, Take 6 will perform at The Paramount Theater on Friday, March 28 at 8 pm. Special Media Sponsor for this event is WUVA -- 92.7 KISS FM.

Take 6 has awed both jazz and gospel listeners with tight, immaculate harmonies and stirring vocal arrangements since bursting onto the music scene in 1988 with their critically acclaimed self-titled debut album.

With voices emulating the sounds and rhythms of musical instruments, the group boasts an uplifting, sophisticated sound that recalls the music of spirituals, doo-wop groups, and classic jazz combos.

The group has been honored to perform with numerous music legends including Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, James Taylor, Miles Davis, Quincy Jones, Randy Travis, David Foster, Al Jarreau, Denyce Graves, The Yellowjackets, and Wynton Marsalis among a host of others.

"Like their stylish clothes, the a capella music of Take 6 is performed with style -- always in time, in tune," wrote jazz magazine Down Beat. It might be another reworking of a classic gospel tune, or an original, up-tempo number, but every song sounds fresh, clean, and full of joy.

Take 6 originated in 1980 at Huntsville, Alabama’s Oakwood College as a gospel quartet named Alliance (later called Gentleman's Estate Quartet). Expanded into a sextet, the group held early rehearsals within the resounding walls of their college dormitory bathrooms, where they worked to develop their unique six-part gospel harmonies and arrangements.

In 1987 the group was signed by Warner/Reprise Nashville, officially becoming Take 6 with members Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Mervyn Warren, Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, and David Thomas.

Although the group originally hoped to sign with a gospel label, they later realized the evangelistic opportunity to reach wider audiences with their jazzed-up style of gospel music. "We [were] purposely styling our music the way we do so that we can take our message of the gospel to people who don't always listen to Christian music," Warren has explained. "We have a message that is appropriate for everybody."

Their landmark debut went on to earn 1988 Grammy Awards in both jazz and gospel categories, and the group was also honored as the first-ever gospel group nominated for a "Best New Artist" Grammy.

The variety of other honors their debut produced is evidence of their broad appeal -- four Gospel Music Dove Awards, an award from the television program Soul Train, and a first-place finish in Down Beat's 1989 readers' poll for Vocal Group of the Year (an honor they would receive for seven years consecutively).

Redefining standards for vocal music, Take 6 helped touch off a vocal group craze in the R&B and pop music world, with acts like Boyz II Men, The Backstreet Boys, and *NSYNC citing them as an influence.

Take 6's second album, So Much 2 Say (1990), was released to further acclaim. Adding instrumentation to their purely a cappella sound, their streak of success continued with recordings He Is Christmas (1991, Grammy Award for Best Jazz Vocal Performance); Join The Band, featuring appearances by Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and Queen Latifah; (1994, Grammy Award in 1994 for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album); and Brothers (1996, Grammy for Best Contemporary Soul Gospel Album).

So Cool (1998) marked a return to a cappella, accompanied by subtle instrumentation on some tracks. 1999 saw the release of three albums: a live album, a second Christmas album (We Wish You a Merry Christmas), and a greatest hits album. Beautiful World (2002) is made up of classic gospel, pop, and R&B hits with a common factor, as Dent put it -- “messages of hope and encouragement, whether spiritual or with that message clearly implied." Most recently, Feels Good (2006) provided another showcase for the group’s award-winning vocals

Although the music of Take 6 has a strong jazz following, their "message," Handler notes, "never strays from their common goal of spreading the good news through song."

Serious about their role as non-traditional Christian evangelists, McKnight states that they “present the message in an attractive package ... hopefully the folks will leave the show humming a tune  ... we accomplish what we set out to do, and that's to reach people in all walks of life. It has never made sense to just sing in church or to people who supposedly already have the message. You take it out into the world and into the streets to the people who really need it."

It’s a mission that current members Alvin Chea, Cedric Dent, Claude McKnight, David Thomas, Joel Kibble, and Mark Kibble are devoted to pursuing. As McKnight beams, “I’m immensely proud of the fact we have had only one personnel change in the group which was founded 20 years ago. It is very much a testament to our commitment to one another and spreading the gospel through our music."

While people may find it hard to find words that capture the essence of world's greatest jazz, R&B, soul/gospel a capella vocal group, they could simply describe Take 6 as mega producer and longtime collaborator Quincy Jones did -- “the baddest vocal cats on the planet.”

Seats are still available for Take 6’s March 28 performance at The Paramount. Tickets are $43.50, $46.50, $49.50, and $54.50. Half-price student rush tickets and group discounts are offered.

Tickets are available online or through The Paramount’s Box Office at 434.979.1333.

For more information about Take 6, please visit www.take6.com.