If You Can’t Beat the Band, Join It : The Spiritual, A Cappella Sextet Take 6 Decides to Let Instrumentalists In on the Act

SANTA ANA — If you’ve ever heard the vocal sextet Take 6, you know it to be one of tastiest male a cappella groups around, an ensemble that blends sumptuous jazz-based harmonies with seamless lyric interpretation.

And while the singers aren’t about to stop delivering uplifting social and spiritual themes with a Christian foundation, they have markedly altered their presentation.

On Take 6’s current tour--the sextet appears tonight at the Galaxy Concert Theatre--and on its recent “Join the Band” album, the members have for the first time added instrumental accompaniment: guitar, saxophone, keyboards, bass, drums and percussion. That lets Take 6 singer Claude McKnight III breathe easier.

“Being an a cappella group is a great thing, don’t get me wrong,” McKnight said in a recent conversation. “But it’s easier now to sing with the band, because we don’t have to be all of the music. There’s a lot of pressure singing every song and having to fill every space. If you’re having a rough night, or you’re tired, you can’t take a break. So it’s easier to do the show now, because the band takes responsibility.”

The downside to having a band is that it’s there, taking up a good deal of musical space, McKnight said. “So the musicians have to know when to pull back and let the vocals shine through,” he said. “That was never an issue before.”

Another new aspect of the band is its expanded repertoire. In the past, the singers have focused strictly on gospel and contemporary Christian songs.

On “Join the Band”--which features guest singers Ray Charles and Stevie Wonder and instrumentalists including keyboardist Herbie Hancock--there are a couple of numbers that originated as secular songs.

But because Take 6 does not sing out-and-out secular tunes--and never will, said McKnight--these numbers have been outfitted with new lyrics to reflect the singers’ spiritual point of view.

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One is David Pack’s “Biggest Part of Me,” which reached No. 3 on the Billboard Pop charts in 1980 as recorded by Ambrosia, for whom Pack was lead singer.

“Originally his version was a love song sung to a woman,” said McKnight, who with Take 6 bass singer Alvin Chea wrote the new lyrics. Now, in Take 6’s version, “It’s the Lord that’s the greatest part of me,” adds McKnight.

Winner of five Grammys in the jazz vocal, gospel and soul gospel categories, Take 6 includes first tenors McKnight and Mark Kibble, second tenors David Thomas and Joey Kibble, baritone Cedric Dent and Chea.

The group was formed in 1980 at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala., as a gospel quintet. It became a sextet soon after. Originally the group performed in churches and on the Oakwood campus, then in the late ‘80s began its recording career with “Take 6,” its Warner Bros. debut, an album that has sold more than 1 million copies. Succeeding albums--”So Much 2 Say” (1990) and “He Is Christmas” (1991)-- have each sold more than 500,000 copies.

McKnight said such big numbers were hardly expected of the group. “It’s pretty amusing that I overheard someone at the company say back then that if we sold 30,000 of our first album, Warner Bros. would recoup” its expenditures, he said.

Obviously, something in the group’s material reaches out to large numbers of listeners. The band’s philosophical thrust has always been, McKnight said, “the good news of the Christian experience, with that good news being whatever you receive from God.”

Delivering that message, he said, is a wondrous experience. “It’s always been a high for me to see people enjoy the experience I have through music,” he said, “to watch them react so strongly to something I hold near and dear to my heart.”

* Take 6 plays tonight at 8 p.m. at the Galaxy Concert Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana. $25. (714) 957-0600. Hear Take 6

* To hear a sample of the album “Join the Band,” call TimesLine at 808-8463 and press *5560.