Former 'Manhattan Transfer' Member Teams With Singers From Cherry Hill High School West

By Steve Tawa

CHERRY HILL, N.J. (CBS) -- Students at Cherry Hill High School West teamed up with a co-founding member of the group, 'Manhattan Transfer,' on Friday to the delight of residents of an assisted living complex.

Three of the school's a cappella groups gathered in the lobby of the Spring Hills Cherry Hill Assisted Living Center, joined by performer Erin Dickins, a vocalist formerly with Manhattan Transfer.

"You're hearing voicings performed naked, so to speak," said Dickins, "so all of the pitch, tone and intonation, all the phrasing needs to be worked really hard on."

She's jazzed that the younger singers are taking up a wealth of brilliant music from the past.

"They're not hiding behind the bass player and the drummer," Dickins said. "They're out there."

One of the tunes they did was her 'Java Jive,' the title song from her new album.

The groups from Cherry Hill West included an all-female group, called Fermata, an all-male group, called Men of Notes and a co-ed group, called Chamber Singers.

Erin Dickens has toured and recorded with many notable entertainers, including Leonard Cohen, Bette Midler, James Taylor and Talking Heads.

She's got a new cookbook, called "Sizzle & Swing: Jazzin' Up Food."

"It includes my CD and has a recipe for every song," Dickens said. "It's so cool for people who live to eat and listen to music."

Dickins will perform January 17-19 at the Philadelphia Gift Show at the Greater Philadelphia Expo Center in Oaks, Pennsylvania.

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