By Ric Bang
Buy CD: Without a Song
I
grew up during the years of big bands and their vocalists. Who can forget the
likes of Sinatra, Torme, Eckstine, Darin and dozens of others? Many of them began
as “swooners,” but as they aged, they became swingers.
Vocalist
Paul Marinaro’s father, Joseph, sang in that style; today, Paul sounds like a
grown-up version of his dad. This album is a labor of love by Paul and his
musical friends, as they revisit some of those past gems, along with several of
today’s better ballads.
One
of Paul’s gimmicks incorporates dubbing old home recordings that his father
made years ago, and blending them with his own renditions. The result is both
polished and endearing.
This
album’s backup artists also are way above average: Chris Sargent, Chris White,
Judy Roberts and Tom Vaitsas, piano; Andy Brown, guitar; Joe Policastro, bass;
Jon Deitemyer, drums; Greg Fishman, tenor sax; and Marielle De Rocca-Serra,
violin. Paul’s vocal prowess is excellent, but the band deserves credit for much
of the CD’s total impact.
Paul
does ballads beautifully. His voice is clear and expressive, and he’s
particularly adept at adding variations to the melodic lines. And, to avoid obvious
duplication during multiple repetitions of a given verse, he includes solo
choruses by his sidemen/women, all of which fit in nicely.
This
may not be the pure, swingin’ jazz that I favor, but it's nonetheless very
enjoyable.
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