The Manhattan Transfer

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The Manhattan Transfer
The classic formation of the Manhattan Transfer from left to right: Janis Siegel, Cheryl Bentyne, Alan Paul, and Tim Hauser
Background information
Origin	New York City, U.S.
Genres	A cappella jazz swing vocalese soul pop R&B[1]
Years active	1969–2023
Labels	Capitol, Columbia, Atlantic, Telarc, Rhino
Members	Alan Paul Janis Siegel Cheryl Bentyne Trist Curless
Past members	Tim Hauser Laurel Massé Erin Dickins Gene Pistilli Marty Nelson Pat Rosalia
Website	manhattantransfer.net

The Manhattan Transfer was an American vocal group founded in 1969 in New York City, performing music genres like a cappella, Brazilian jazz, swing, vocalese, rhythm and blues, pop, and standards. They have won eleven Grammy Awards.

There have been several incarnations and formations of the Manhattan Transfer, with each edition having different styles.

The first and original rendition was in the 1960s, consisting of a mostly a cappella-tinged style; it featured Hauser, Erin Dickins, Marty Nelson, Pat Rosalia, and Gene Pistilli. The second version of the group, formed in 1972, incorporating a more vocal jazz approach, consisted of Hauser, Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, and Laurel Massé.

The third, and most commercially perceived, formation of the group happened in 1979, because Massé had to leave the group after being badly injured in a car crash and was replaced by Cheryl Bentyne. This edition of the Manhattan Transfer performed electronic-styled pop, soul, funk, and rhythmic music, having success in the 1980s.

The group's fourth edition, since the 1990s, originally consisted of Hauser, Paul, Siegel, and Bentyne, and performed mostly cool and smooth jazz. It also had several rotating touring members, and longtime pianist Yaron Gershovsky accompanied the group on tour and served as music director. Trist Curless from the Los Angeles a cappella group m-pact became a permanent member in October 2014 following Hauser's death.^[2]