A Word About Pat Rosalia by Tim Hauser

A Word from Tim Hauser…

I was so saddened to hear of Pat Rosalia's passing last week.  Many things ran through my mind after hearing this sad news.  Pat was a high school and college friend of mine.  At one point, during my college years, we lived around the corner from each other.  At that time, in school, she was the girlfriend of my music partner and close friend Tommy Picardo.  We all spent a lot of time together, mostly listening to music, and singing.  Pat's folks had a basement playroom in their home, and I recall Pat playing Java Jive by the Ink Spots.  It became one of The Manhattan Transfer's first repertoire songs, and to this day, is one of the most popular and requested tunes.  Pat loved that song, and we all used to sing it, along with a lot of other doo wop tunes that were popular at that time.  Pat had this wonderful smile that gave away the kind of person she was - warm and eternally optimistic.  I loved hanging around with her.

Pat and Tommy subsequently got married, but it was a short-lived marriage.  She was living in New York by then, as was I.  I had finally left my straight job, and began trying to form a singing group.  Erin and I, and a potter by the name of Riki Kurtz began singing together, and Pat suggested a guy she knew from home named Marty Nelson. Riki did not stay in the band long, and Pat took her place, and that was the beginning of the real Manhattan Transfer.   Pat began dating Tommy's old singing partner Gene Pistilli.  Those two were a wonderful pair, and really loved each other.  Gene was a great singer/songwriter, and we all teamed up to become The Manhattan Transfer with Gene Pistilli.  We only made one album, "Jukin”.  I am, to this day, very proud of the work we all did.  We were a bunch of hippies having fun singing together, and we were all so much a part of that crazy, and creative time.

Pat and I eventually parted ways because of creative differences.  I saw her on a couple of occasions following our separation.  But after that, we went our separate ways, albeit for both of us, quite musical.

No matter what happens in life, every person that comes across our path is a gift from God.  For me, Pat was certainly a perfect example of that. My sadness today is for several reasons.  I'm very sad at the fact that she is gone, but I'm more saddened at the fact we never resolved our differences. For me, it makes it all too clear that these things are not as important as the love of a friendship.  Pat was my friend, and I loved her.  She is no longer here, but is in my heart as one of God's gifts.  That love will always remain.

Pat, thanks for being my high school and college pal, my singing partner, and for giving me and a hell of a lot of other people Java Jive.  I'll always remember the big smile on your face every time you sang it on Green Grove Road.
Tim