Dave Damiani is an American singer, songwriter, producer
based out of Los Angeles, CA. Having started as a bartender at the famed
CHARLIE O'S JAZZ CLUB in Valley Village, CA, Dave Damiani had the opportunity to
work, learn and become friends with some of the best musicians on the planet.
Legends like Earl Palmer, Marty Harris, Ross Tompkins, Sam Most, Teddy Edwards,
John Heard, Roy McCurdy, Frank Capp, Ernie McDaniel, Dini Clarke, Danny
Grissett, George Gaffney, Mark Murphy, and Richie Cole (just to name a few)
took time to mentor Dave Damiani, share stories and chord changes.
Shortly after receiving his master's degree in Commercial
Music from the California State University in Los Angeles, Dave began his pursuit
to put together the perfect band with youth and style. His debut album "Watch What
Happens" has been receiving worldwide airplay. Brad "Martini"
Chambers was the first to discover Dave Damiani's originality. Brad has been playing him constantly on www.martiniinthemorning.com
since 2013. Additionally, receiving airplay on over 300 radio stations and on
Satellite Radio XM 71 (Siriusly Sinatra). In January Dave Damiani hosted his
own hour on Sirius XM Siriuisly Sinatra #71, while hosting his good friend and
New Jersey brother Joe Piscopo swung the studio say, “hi”!
Dave Damiani & The No Vacancy Orchestra have produced
shows with Frank Sinatra Enterprises, The Grove, Citi, Capital One, American
Airlines, Jack Daniels, George Benson, Molly Ringwald, Bobby Ridel, Landau
Murphy Jr., Hailey Reinhart, Renee Olstead, Steve Tyrel, Larry King.
With the release of their captivatingly titled debut album
Bending the Standard: The Anthology, Dave Damiani & The No Vacancy
Orchestra make once-old things fresh and new, turn tradition into timelessness
and transform the musical masterpieces of eras gone by into suddenly hip,
relevant and vibrant expressions of our current American moment. Led by
visionary Los Angeles based singer, songwriter, arranger, producer and
bandleader Dave Damiani, the contemporary big band ensemble - known for years
as "L.A.'s premiere event band" - offers an expansive, 18-track set
of artfully re-imagined Songbook standards. Little covered pop rarities,
colorful lyrical re-workings of Sinatra-associated treasures and a handful of
Damiani originals that vibe seamlessly with the more familiar tunes.
The collection's lead single is a brisk, Latin-flavored
stroll through "Come Fly With Me" that showcases the band's bright,
brassy immediacy and the singer's slyly snappy phrasing. The track also
features the pulsing foundation of legendary jazz drummer Peter Erskine.
As one of the city's premier jazz multi-talents, Damiani has
worked with and produced a wide array of popular artists. One of the ways he
enjoys Bending the Standard is inviting well known musical friends to the
party.
Dave creates transcendent duets with contemporary jazz
singer Spencer Day ("Please Be Kind"), "The Voice" alum and
Postmodern Jukebox member Maiya Sykes ("Wives & Lovers") and
America's Got Talent Season 6 winner Landau Eugene Murphy, Jr. ("East of
the Sun - And West of the Moon").
Damiani takes the Quincy Jones arranger/producer role on
"Bye Bye Blackbird" (featuring Renee Olstead on vocals) and
"Come Home To West Virginia," a showcase for Murphy's extraordinary
vocal talents. Dave Damiani & Alex Frank - penned a tribute to Murphy's
home state was used to raise over $1.5 million to help regional flood victims
in 2016.
In addition to putting his unique stamp on Sinatra
affiliated songs like "Taking a Chance on Love," "(How Little It
Matters) How Little We Know," "That's All" and "On the
Sunny Side of the Street," Damiani & Frank cleverly and humorously
refashions the lyrics to "The Tender Trap" ("The Tinder
App") and "Come Fly With Me (LA Version)," which pays homage to
the city's quirky personalities, sports teams, culinary delights and hangouts.
This track is one of several on Bending the Standard to spotlight remarkable
American locales.
"Manhattan" begins with the orchestra swinging on
"New York, New York" before the singer romps through Rodgers and
Hart's "We'll Take Manhattan," complete with a riff on the end that
includes a "Hamilton" reference.
"It's Pure AC - Atlantic City" is an ode to the
famed city and deep musical history, centered around the historic 500 club,
where Martin & Lewis got their start and legends like Frank, Nat and Elvis
once held court.
Of course, the first person we think of when we hear Damiani
sing the soaring words of "Come Fly With Me" is Ol' Blue Eyes, but
he's earned praise and endorsement of the Sinatra family precisely because he
doesn't try to, as he says, "be Frank or imitate him in any way, but pay
homage" by finding deeper historical and emotional reasons for recording
songs indelibly connected to him.
Damiani's music, including tracks from his previous solo
albums Watch What Happens (2013) and Midlife Crisis (2015), has been a staple
these past years on Siriusly Sinatra, a pop standards-oriented channel (71) on
Sirius XM Radio. He has both hosted the weekly segment "Playing
Favorites" and was featured on the show with special guest, comedian Joe
Piscopo.
Over the years, Damiani & The No Vacancy Orchestra have
performed for CBS's hit show Vegas starring Michael Chiklis & Dennis Quaid,
The Sinatra 100 Celebration with George Benson, Leonardo DiCaprio, Larry King
(60th Anniversary in show business), Tommy Lasorda (90th Birthday party), Ryan
Seacrest, Gene Simmons, David Spade, David Hasselhoff, Jack Klugman, CBS
Television, Rupert Murdoch (engagement party at the Wynn Hotel), FOX
Television, Wolfgang Puck, Oliver Stone, Ridley Scott, The Beverly Hills Hotel,
The Four Seasons, The Ritz Carlton and many other celebrities and legendary
entities.
Dave Damiani & the No Vacancy Orchestra will be touring
in the Summer of 2018, kicking off July in Atlantic City. Their tour will
include performances at Birdland in NYC, Bethesda Blues & Jazz (Bethesda,
MD), The Blue Room at the Waldorf Astoria in New Orleans and the Hard Rock in
Biloxi, MS.
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