Joe Romano

Joe Romano.....April 17, 1935-November 26, 2008
Joe was the real deal. He lived the “jazz life” and his playing was authentic. The sound Joe had was from years on the road working and playing with the best cats out there. You can’t get it from a classroom, you have to live it. Working with Joe was a great learning experience for me. He pushed me to uncharted territory and we flew high on the band stand. Hearing of Joe's passing has not been easy for me. When Joe was on the gig I never felt uncomfortable. Joe always made me feel valid as a singer. His style of playing encouraged me to take musicale risks and he genuinely liked me and my work and trust me that’s not the case very often as we singers at best are a necessary evil for most musicians and I know who digs me and who doesn’t. He did and I loved him big time. We became friends and kept in touch all thru the years and gigged when we could. He was very giving and forgiving on and off the bandstand. He was a great hang too.. Thanks Joe for everything you shared with me. I have lost one of my brothers in deed. I gonna really miss you...

Not so " Menza Menza"

You often hear folks talk about the talent that was born and bread in upstate New York . Many have made history and will be remembered for their contribution to the music. Don Menza is definitely one. Nice gig with Don Friday night. Don is originally from Buffalo now living in L.A. Plays his everlovin butt off and has a ball on stage. What a gas. It's good to know your not alone sometimes. Thanks Don..

How Bout Them Apples

I took this picture at the public market in Seattle. It turned out to be somewhat serendipitous and right on . I went out there to work a wonderful Jazz room called Bakes Place. It was a rewarding experience on many levels. The musicians were 1st rate and were great guys. The club was 1st class as well . Joan Merrill Books the room. I had met Joan at IAJE several years ago. She was and still is managing Rebecca Parris and several other notable jazz singers. I, needless to say asked her if she'd consider booking for me to which she replied she was not taking anyone new on. We stayed in touch and she brought me out to Bakes in May. Houston Person had been telling her to take a serious look at me for several years and after seeing me live Joan had a change of heart and is now my manager and agent for which I am grateful as I had just recently thrown up my hands to cold calling festivals and clubs. It becomes redundant for some artists to do so and Joan is a blessing.. In Joan’s words: Suffice is to say that I’m taking this on because I think you’re a terrific singer (Houston was right!!); probably the most authentic and pure "jazz singer" out there and I think other people ought to have the joy of hearing/seeing you.
We are doing a live Cd at Bakes place in the Fall. It’s all very delightful. Now let’s just hope I can afford to travel by this time next year. LOL

Darwin's Theory of Jazz

There is a big movement towards academic Jazz singing and playing and what I am calling Folk or Pop Jazz. Sadly some are calling it a natural evolution of the music.
How did we get here? I'm sure the Beatles had something to do with it. That’s another whole blog. There was definitely a decline in people going out to hear live music after the drunk driving laws affected most of the club scenes around the country. Jazz musicians ran to the universities looking for work. 30 years ago there were only 3 colleges in the U.S. that offered a jazz program. Now almost every school in the country has one. We are turning out factory made jazz musicians faster than Detroit could make the Edsel .It’s a “Catch 22” educating so many to the music is priceless and important to its preservation but, they are released into a market that has about as many opportunities as Siberia. Every young jazz wannabe in the country is borrowing money from their family or sugar daddy, depending on their ethics, to make cds and flood the market with them. While getting the American songbook out to the masses is important, it could be seen as music inflation and a product of commercialism and capitalism. Those of us that came up learning our craft by actually living it for 30 years are finding it harder and harder to find a new audience as they are now exposed to “new Jazz" by the commercial jazz machine that can make a jazz star out of anyone that has enough money, is 19 and good looking and can sing or at least know how to use Pro Tools. Hey after all it’s the land of the free and everyone depending on how cunning they are can have a big piece of the pie
There’s a few good Dj’s left in the country like Ross Gentile at WSIE in St Louis. Ross plays what he deems great jazz and great singing period, but countless Jazz radio program directors because of various factors of the nature of the new beast,are under pressure and are forced to feed the commercial jazz machine
I am, in no way bitter and consider myself to have a blessed life and career and to be alive to watch any transformation, not just this one. I am proud of every line on my face and proud to be a part of the “old” jazz that’s left. I’m not Doris Day, I’m not Frank Sinatra. I don’t sing the melody all the time. I sing jazz standards and the American songbook my way Like Ella, Carmen and Billy and Betty.
Whenever I am asked if I do anything original my answer is, “Yes everything I do is original “

shhhhh

I am old school jazz singer. There are only a handful of us left. I came up in the “real east coast jazz houses” swingin, with just enough grit and bop. I learned my craft from cats that couldn’t read a damn note and knew every tune in every key, some drank like fish’s and other things we don’t need to mention and played with a passion, like their life depended on it. The crowds screamed with glee and excitement cheering us on higher and higher. There were jazz clubs like that in every town. Your feet stuck to the rug and Billy and Ella and Dizzy poured from the juke box. Steam rolled out onto the street while the musicians played till dawn. (By the way there is still a jazz club like this in my neck of the woods called “Green Pastures” in Elmira N.Y.). Things have changed and the music is mostly played “in concert” and mainstream jazz rooms. The crowd is told to be quiet during the performance. Not because we don’t want some feedback but simply because they talk. As a musician I can tell you there’s a big difference between a room that is buzzing because they are physically and emoitionally involved with the music and a room of noisy listeners that don’t “get it”. We have come to this and it is necessary at this juncture but man do I ever miss hearing “Yeah Baby”or“Amen”or“You go Girl”, pushing the music to higher heights with levels of excitement that have now been forced almost into remission. The environment has become sterile and the “lost chord” may never be found. The days of spontaneous acknowledgement are all but gone.