Tim Hauser – Founder of The Manhattan Transfer: R.I.P.

He formed the Manhattan Transfer back in 1969 and after several personnel changes, the group which toured the world over and recorded numerous classic albums, with Janis Siegel, Cheryl Bentyne, and Alan Paul, had been together since 1978.

With the untimely death of this great musician and singer, you might as well say that an era has ended. So many awards, among them 10 Grammies, and die-hard fans the world over have put The Manhattan Transfer on the map as the best vocal group.

Here is an excerpt from the Transfer’s website:

“As the founder of The Manhattan Transfer, Tim always strives to have their image dovetail with their music. Tim is a gifted producer as well. He takes the whole concept of an album idea from beginning to end. By interweaving their talents in arranging and performing along with their image, he successfully brings it all together in the albums that he produces. He has also used his producing skills with other artists, including Richie Cole’s Pop Bop, and the last session of Eddie Jefferson. He produced the soundtrack to the film “The Marrying Man,” in which he also made his acting debut as Woody the bandleader.

Tim Hauser’s first solo album, “Love Stories,” was released on September 5, 2007 by King Records (KICJ-522) in Japan.

Tim is an expert of jazz history – be it an artist, a tune or a label, he can probably recall it and tell you anything you want to know. He is also the creator of “I Made Sauce,” a pasta sauce that is the result of his culinary skills. He made the sauce for friends and family for years, and sold it commercially.”

I grew up with the music of The Manhattan Transfer and can’t imagine them without Tim Hauser. They were scheduled to perform in the US and Canada until the end of the year. R.I.P.