I bought mine here for $7.52 total:
http://www.deepdiscount.com/viewproduct.htm?productId=53084378
As far as I know, nobody beats DeepDiscount on DVD prices (their
shipping is slow but free). If you know anybody who does, please let
me know.
--- In mantran@yahoogroups.com, "Keith Parsons" <khp38120@...> wrote:
>
> I know several people on this list have purchased the Manhattan
> Transfer 35th Anniversary DVD: The Great American Songbook, but I
> double-checked, and I don't think anyone has posted a review of it
> yet. I just viewed the copy I "received" from my son (translation:
> bought for myself and let him wrap it up) for Christmas, and a
> review is definitely in order.
>
> But first things first: If you have not ordered this DVD yet, RUN,
> do not walk, to your computer and go to oddbanana.com and BUY THIS
> DVD. They are selling it for $5.81 plus $3.00 shipping, for a total
> of $8.81! At that price, everyone needs to have one.
>
> The DVD was filmed on May 13 of this year at Henson Studios in Los
> Angeles. The studo room is homey, with oriental rugs on the floor
> and draped over possible acoustic booby traps. Yaron Gershovsky
> sits at a Steinway piano with his back to the camera; he is the only
> person we see in the studio except our heroes. The guys are dressed
> in spiffy suits (though Alan's jacket hangs on a mic stand), and Tim
> has traded in his soul patch for a pencil-thin mustache that goes
> well with his sporty hat. Alan has some cool new glasses that make
> him look like Jeff Goldblum in Jurassic Park. Janis is simple yet
> stunning in a navy blue dress, and Cheryl goes the
> shirt/tie/pants/red shoes route. All look relaxed and happy.
>
> The disc contains five live-in-the-studio performances with Yaron
> accompanying on piano. The group stands under a stylish microphone
> to sing, but the disc also includes interviews where the four of
> them relax on stools while they recall memories of how they came to
> learn each song. The video of the discussion is interleaved with
> the video of the singing, but you can play just the performances
> from the main menu of the DVD.
>
> After beginning with "Route 66: (which Janis admits they sing for
> practically every appearance), they tell the story of being invited
> to the White House during the Reagan administration to perform on a
> Gershwin program. Since they didn't have any Gershwin in their
> repertoire, they hurriedly commissioned Gene Puerling to write their
> arrangement of "Embraceable You" (familiar to most of us, I think).
> This is followed by a reminiscence of how they worked up "On the
> Sunny Side of the Street" for A League of Their Own. I remembered
> that on the soundtrack that the orchestra played a chorus before the
> group sang, and I guess it's because there's only one verse-- it is
> short and sweet when straightforwardly rendered. Next they return
> to the story of the White House performance, recalling that Sarah
> Vaughan, who sang before them, had sung a traditional arrangement
> of "Someone to Watch Over Me." Since they didn't know they were
> duplicating titles, they were glad that Alan had chosen a doo-wop
> approach to his arrangement, which is recorded for the first time
> ever in this session. This is a real treasure to add to the TMT
> collection!
>
> The DVD concludes with a rendering of "A Nightingale Sang in Berkley
> Square" in which Yaron accompanies, also playing the intro and outro
> melodies instead of the group singing them. While I prefer the
> acapella version, the piano-accompanied version is a nice add as
> well. Also, I don't think anyone has mentioned yet that Alan tells
> the story of the first time they sang in the Philippines and saw
> what must have been Moy's group singing "Nightingale" on TV.
>
> A few years ago, The Manhattan Transfer perfromed at the Bartlett
> Performing Arts Center near Memphis (I remember Pete Motley came up
> from Fort Worth!), and it was like having the group perform in your
> living room. With this DVD, I am overjoyed that I can welcome them
> back into my living room any time I want to (or need to).
>
>
> Keith
>