Fitz's Jazz Café At McCallum Theatre

Grammy award-winning pop and jazz geniuses, Manhattan Transfer, are set to take the stage at McCallum Theatre's very own Fitz's Jazz Café on Sunday, January 14 at 7pm. Their long-awaited show is sure to carry out The Manhattan Transfer's legacy of captivating live performance, bringing with it a mix of the old and the new, including many of the spectacular hits that helped them make their mark in the music industry.

The American vocal group Manhattan Transfer began in 1972 in New York City where it earned its famous reputation for mixing jazz, big band, and popular music styles. The group was founded by singers Alan Paul, Janis Siegel, Laurel Massé, and Tim Hauser. In 1975 the group released its first album, Manhattan Transfer.

The group met with global success in Europe, where its next two albums, Coming Out and Pastiche, earned it a string of top 10 hits. Their next album, Extensions, earned them their first domestic pop hit: "Twilight Zone/Twilight Tone," penned by Alan Paul and Jay Graydon. The album also featured "Birdland," which has become Manhattan Transfer's signature song.

In 1981, the group made music history by becoming the first group to win Grammy's in both pop and jazz categories in the same year. Subsequently, in 1982, Manhattan Transfer won another Grammy for Best Jazz Vocal Performance for a Duo or Group for its rendition of the classic "ode-to-the-road" song, "Route 66."

In 1991, Manhattan Transfer released The Offbeat of Avenues, produced by Tim Hauser. The album won a Best Contemporary Jazz Performance Grammy for "Sassy," a piece boasting lyrics by Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne. In 1992, Rhino Records released The Manhattan Transfer Anthology: Down in Birdland, a two-disc compilation of the group's work spanning their twenty-year career.

Other famous albums include Couldn't be Hotter and Vibrate, which were their first and second albums (respectively) on the Telarc label.

The group's name comes from John Dos Passos' 1925 novel, Manhattan Transfer. Since 1975, they have released a whopping total of 24 of their own albums and have appeared as guest artists on a myriad of recordings. The group was inducted into the Vocal Group Hall of Fame in 1998.

Desert Lexus, Pacific Western Bank, La Quinta Resort, Millennium Mortgage, Time Warner Cable Media Sales and KJJZ 102.3-FM sponsor Fitz's Jazz Café at the McCallum's presentation of Manhattan Transfer.

Tickets to MANHATTAN TRANSFER live at Fitz's Jazz Café at McCallum Theatre on Sunday, January 14 at 7pm, are on sale now. Tickets are $85/65/55/45. Tickets are available at the McCallum Theatre Box Office by calling 760-340-ARTS, online at www.mccallumtheatre.com, or by walk-up. -- www.mccallumtheatre.com