This stunning Telarc debut illustrates how great singers, like The Manhattan Transfer´s Janis Siegel, can renew great songs. Siegel not only pays homage to the legendary Brill Building - a veritable hit factory and the heart of New York´s pop songwriting industry from the late 1950s through the mid 1960s - but also expands the concept by spotlighting jazz songs made famous by women. The eleven performances featured here argue persuasively for the songwriting craft that went into these tunes, and for Siegel´s profound understanding of how they work. The nine-time Grammy winner (and seventeen-time Grammy nominee) actually wrote and recorded in the Brill Building very early in her career. Originally conceived as an album in which a jazz spin would be given to pop hits from the Brill Building era Carole King and Gerry Goffin´s ´Go Away Little Boy,´ Barry Mann and Cynthia Weil´s ´Just a Little Lovin´, and ´ Pat Ballard´s ´Mr. Sandman.´ Producer Joel Dorn suggested music of the same period, focusing on jazz vocals that had crossed over to the pop charts Nancy Wilson´s version of ´(I´m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over,´ Dakota Staton´s ´The Late Late Show,´ Etta Jones´s ´Don´t Go to Strangers,´ Gloria Lynne´s ´I Wish You Love,´ Dinah Washington´s ´Where Are You?,´ and Miss Toni Fisher´s ´The Big Hurt.´Joining Siegel is a band ´hand picked´ by Dorn, featuring the cream of New York´s jazz scene, including trumpeter Tom Harrell, vibist Bill Ware, and tenor saxophonist/flutist David ´Fathead´ Newman. The rhythm section adds a distinct nightclub vibe, propelled by pianist Cedar Walton, bassist David Williams and drummer Winard Harper. I Wish You Love is a personal triumph that brings Siegel´s career full circle from singing at age twelve with The Young Generation, an all-girl trio that recorded for Red Bird Records headquartered in the Brill Building. She landed herself a new gig after a chance meeting with Tim Hauser - then a taxi-driver with musical aspirations - led to the formation of The Manhattan Transfer, the acclaimed four-part vocal group. The group´s landmark self-titled debut album was released in 1975, launching a twenty five year plus success story. With six solo albums over the past twenty years, Siegel has established herself as a leading light for jazz/pop vocalists.Selections Just a Little Lovin´ I Want You To Be My Baby Go Away Little Boy Mr. Sandman / Dream a Little Dream of Me The Late Late Show Don´t Go to Strangers (I´m Afraid) The Masquerade Is Over Where Are You? Guess Who I Saw Today? I Wish You Love The Big Hurt