Take 6 has built a long, rich career over nearly four decades as one of the world’s most acclaimed and beloved a cappella groups, endearing themselves to generations of audiences with their gorgeous harmonies, inspirational lyrics and blend of gospel, jazz and soul music.
Next weekend, the 10-time GRAMMY winner will expand their inimitable sound even further, performing with the Frost School of Music’s Henry Mancini Institute (HMI) Orchestra on Sept. 25 and 26 at Maurice Gusman Concert Hall. The 75-member ensemble, which combines a symphony orchestra with a jazz big band, will join Take 6 on renditions of songs from throughout the group’s history, from early hits such as “Spread Love” and “Stand by Me” to material from a new album, “Rhapsody,” coming out in 2027.
“It opens things up creatively and allows us to think even more broadly,” said Take 6 co-founder Claude McKnight of performing with the HMI Orchestra, who joined fellow members Dave Thomas and Mark Kibble to speak with Frost News. “It’s a different coloration as far as the music is concerned. That’s an amazing thing for us, especially having done what we do for so long.”
The Jazz Journalists Association recently honored Take 6 as the 2026 Jazz Vocal Group of the Year, adding yet another honor to their multiple GRAMMYs, 10 Dove Awards, two NAACP Image Awards and a Soul Train Award. Formed in 1980 at Oakwood College in Alabama, Take 6 released their self-titled debut album in 1988. They’ve worked with countless stars, from Ray Charles and Whitney Houston to Ella Fitzgerald, Stevie Wonder and Jacob Collier. The group has deep roots in the church, which gives their music a spiritual dimension that extends their appeal beyond pop music.
This is the third time Take 6 has collaborated with HMI. They performed with the HMI Orchestra in 2012 and with the HMI big band in 2013, in a tribute to Ray Charles for the Adrienne Arsht Center’s Jazz Roots series.
“This reunion is gonna be pretty awesome,” said Kibble.
They were lured back by the Frost School ensemble’s prowess across a range of musical styles that match their own and by the expertise of assistant professor and HMI creative director Stephen Guerra in arranging orchestral and big band music. (Take 6 is also connected to singer Monica Mancini, daughter of the legendary film composer, and her producer husband, Gregg Field, who oversee the composer’s legacy; the group sang on the 2024 album celebrating the centennial of Mancini’s birth.)
Guerra said the rare combination of Take 6’s intricate harmonies and virtuosity with the scope and grandeur of the HMI orchestra will thrill audiences and musicians alike. “It allows Take 6 to explore the intersection between vocal and instrumental music,” said Guerra, who has arranged several songs featuring the sextet. “Their music is lush and rich in a lot of the same ways as orchestral music. So the textures of the orchestra complement those of Take 6.”
McKnight praised Guerra as “a great arranger and a great person to hang around. He really knows his stuff, so it’s a good symbiotic arrangement between him and us. We’re excited to work with him again.”
The Gusman concerts will include Guerra’s arrangements of the jazz standards “God Bless the Child” and “Stardust,” slated for next year’s “Rhapsody” and “Windmills of Your Mind” from the classic film “The Thomas Crown Affair.” There will be tunes by Al Jarreau and Stevie Wonder, the traditional spiritual “Mary, Don’t You Weep,” and much more. The program will vary from Friday to Saturday night.
The graduate fellows in the HMI Orchestra are adept in a range of styles that match Take 6’s range and have performed with stars such as Gloria Estefan, Phil Ramone and Ben Folds and on film scores and live television recordings.
“The orchestra is very well-suited to perform this music because our students are exposed to a variety of styles,” said Guerra. “HMI is a melting pot musically. Our fellows can perform music from the genres that define Take 6: gospel, jazz and choral music. Our students come from varied backgrounds and that diversity will be on display.”
But Take 6’s reasons for visiting the Frost School go beyond the musical opportunities HMI offers. They will launch an ambitious legacy project during their five-day residency, filming rehearsals, masterclasses and Q&As for an educational series capturing their singular artistry and method for future generations. It is part of what the group is calling a year of giving and giving back, also marked by a focus on their partnership with St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital and other nonprofits.
“At the beginning of your career, you’re really focused on pushing the frontiers of creativity and music,” said Thomas. “As we get older, it becomes more about legacy. You want to make sure you leave something behind that will help the next generation so that they can stand on our shoulders.”
“Once we decided we were really going to start focusing on the legacy part of our career, it was a natural fit to go back to our friends at the Frost School and let them be the first school we work with in putting our educational series together.”
The series and the sessions they’ll present at the Frost School will focus on what Take 6 calls the five commandments of arranging. “We didn’t dare to say the 10 commandments,” joked Thomas. “They’re principles that can apply to just about any arrangement, from conceptualizing what song you’re going to use all the way to the final product.
“We’ll sit at the keyboard and demonstrate how we put together arrangements for ourselves. We’ll invite people to interact with us so they can experience our process. It’s all intertwined in a grand experience of how Take 6 does what we do.”
Take 6's members say that at this point in their own lives, and in that of the group, passing on their experience and knowledge has become vital.
“It’s become a lot more important,” said McKibble. “But it’s also a lot of fun for us to do this. The sharing part is fun. That also energizes us to do this, especially for people who are hungry for it.”
If you go:
Take 6 and the Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra perform at 7:30pm on Friday Sept. 25 and Saturday Sept. 26 at the Maurice Gusman Concert Hall, 1314 Miller Dr., Coral Gables, FL 33146.
Tickets $40 to $65 at Frost Music Live.
