Couldn't Be Hotter Explained

Couldn't Be Hotter
Type:	live
Artist:	The Manhattan Transfer
Cover:	Couldn't_Be_Hotter.jpg
Released:	September 2003
Recorded:	December 2000
Genre:	Vocal jazz
Length:	77:32
Label:	Telarc
Producer:	Tim Hauser
Prev Title:	The Spirit of St. Louis
Prev Year:	2000
Next Title:	Vibrate
Next Year:	2004

Couldn't Be Hotter is the fifth live album released by The Manhattan Transfer in 2003 on the Telarc label. This is their third live album with Cheryl Bentyne. It was recorded during a tour of Japan over two nights at Orchestra Hall in Tokyo.^[1]

Reviews

• "The Transfer's first live recording in seven years. And, yes, after more than two decades in existence, they're still pretty hot."

-- Los Angeles Times

• "A great live set by the vocal quartet who specialize in jazz vocalese, still harmonizing strongly with 30-plus years under their belts."

-- Goldmine

• "This impressive set shows that the Transfer is still at the peak of their collective powers...it's time we acknowledged them as one of the very best of a dying breed, THE classic vocal group. This CD is proof positive . "Couldn't Be Hotter" indeed."

-- JazzReview.com

• "Recorded in Japan, Couldn't Be Hotter fully displays the humor and soaring interplay of Hauser, Siegel, Paul, and Bentyne as they re-establish themselves as the premiere vocal quartet."

-- Rhythm & News

Track listing

-		Song title	Composer/songwriter	length
1	"Old Man Mose"		2:46
2	"Sing Moten's Swing"	Jon Hendricks, Bennie Moten, Ira Moten	3:42
3	"A-Tisket, A-Tasket"		3:06
4	"Sugar"		3:41
5	"(Up A) Lazy River"		5:38
6	"Do You Know What It Means to Miss New Orleans?"		5:32
7	"Stars Fell on Alabama"		4:32
8	"Gone Fishin'"		5:03
9	"Blue Again"		5:29
10	"Clouds"		7:51
11	"Stompin' at Mahogany Hall"	Alan Paul, Spencer Williams	3:08
12	"Nothing Could Be Hotter Than That"		6:43
13	"It's Good Enough to Keep (Air Mail Special)"	Charlie Christian, Benny Goodman, Jimmy Mundy, Alan Paul	3:14
14	"Don't Let Go"	Jesse Stone	4:18
15	"Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone"	Jay Graydon, Bernard Herrmann, Alan Paul	4:15
16	"My Foolish Heart"		8:25

Personnel

The Manhattan Transfer

• Cheryl Bentyne – vocals
• Tim Hauser – vocals
• Alan Paul – vocals
• Janis Siegel – vocals

Musicians

• Yaron Gershovsky – keyboards, arrangements, musical director
• Wayne Johnson – guitars
• Michael Bowie – bass
• Tom Brechtlein – drums
• Larry Klimas – soprano saxophone, tenor saxophone
• Lew Soloff – trumpet

Production

• Tim Hauser – producer
• Katsu Kusakabe – producer, management director
• Rick Garcia – production coordinator
• Kevin Sproatt – engineer
• Michael Eric Hutchinson – mixing
• Robert Hadley – mastering
• Anilda Carrasquillo – art direction, design
• Robert Hoffman – photography
• Nicholas Jeen – tour manager

Notes and References

1. Web site: Couldn't Be Hotter . . March 24, 2023 .