By Jane Dunlap Norris /
Published: March 27, 2008

Take 6 member Alvin Chea once saw a magnet on a friend’s refrigerator that said, “Leap, and the net will appear.’’ He found the sentiment a familiar one.

“That’s how we approach things,’’ Chea said of his Grammy Award-winning vocal group, which is at home in gospel, jazz, rhythm and blues and many more styles. “Being an a cappella group in an electronic age is a bold thing.’’

The boldness has paid off for the singers, who will be taking the Paramount Theater stage at 8 p.m. Friday. The group is known for distinctive six-part harmonies that glide effortlessly from pop to church music, and its eight Grammys reflect that versatility. In 1988, the group won best-performance trophies in both gospel and jazz categories, and its most recent prize, in 2002, was in R&B.

Even during tonight’s performance, the group may be taking a few chances, Chea said. A couple of songs will be performed here for the first time as live numbers.

“That might be the debut maiden voyage,’’ Chea said with a chuckle.

Part of getting a successful evening under way is getting a sense of what the audience will be in the mood for and how adventurous the listeners might be.

“We’ll kind of vibe it out,’’ Chea said. “We’ll have the audience sing along and make them feel they’re having an evening with Take 6. We’re really looking forward to it.’’

The sound even is irresistible to the members, who’ve seen only one personnel change since teaming up as a group two decades ago at Oakwood College in Huntsville, Ala. Chea has been singing with Cedric Dent, Claude McKnight, David Thomas and Mark Kibble since the early days, and when Mervyn Warren stepped out, Joey Kibble - Mark Kibble’s younger brother - stepped in.

“He was always in the wings,’’ Chea said. “We’ve grown beyond friends, and now we’re brothers. That’s really what gets us through.

“There won’t be any untrue moments.’’

The sound kept them practicing in their dormitory restrooms so they could hear the harmonies surrounding them. It also keeps them reaching for new directions.

“You’ve got to constantly challenge yourself and constantly push yourself out of your comfort zone,’’ Chea said.

At one point, that meant leaving the snug success of a cappella harmony to learn to play instruments and accompany themselves, he said.

Take 6’s members have faith not only in each other, but in their listeners. Taking new directions usually goes over well with audiences as long as it’s sincere and authentic, Chea said.

“If you’re honest about it, they’ll go with you,’’ Chea said. “There’s a truth serum that happens on stage.”

Staying real pays off when members see the reactions they get from listeners who’ve been moved by a song, he said.

“Weve seen some wonderful things, especially after the show,’’ Chea said. “People will come backstage and pray with us, or hug us.’’

Sometimes, the songs even work their magic on the singers.

“Every once in a while, there’s a song that, wherever I am emotionally, I get caught up, and I have trouble finishing the song,’’ Chea said. That’s when he said he finds himself wondering, “ ‘Is that song ministering to me?’ ‘’

If you’re wondering what direction the group plans next, it’s one that fans have requested for quite a while.

“People have been asking us for a standards album for years, and we’re going to give it to them,’’ Chea said. One treat to keep an ear out for: Take 6’s take on “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,’’ playfully made famous by Ella Fitzgerald.