Wearing a fabulous green dress in the midst of Fashion Week, Jenna Esposito brought down the house once again at Dopo Teatro on Saturday, September 11th. On a day of remembrance, we cannot think of a better way to recognize that you need to make the most of life and enjoy the days you have than by going to see Jenna's show. We'll begin by telling you how she closed the program: with God Bless America. Obviously if you know Peachy, you know she is super patriotic so we loved this. But this was only one component in Jenna's vocal arsenal. We've been telling you for ages that you need to see her show, and we're not quite sure who is in charge of hiring at Broadway shows as quite honestly Peachy would rather be at a Rangers game, but who ever is doing the hiring is missing out big by NOT starring Jenna right now in a lead. In fact, we'd even go see her during the Stanley Cup Playoffs. This is Jenna's first performance at Dopo Teatro we understand.
Jenna began with "Steppin' Out With My Baby," and her energy is electric and invigorates the whole room. Her voice sparkles, her face sparkles, her personality sparkles and she will make you feel like you are sparkling too, even if you are a curmudgeon anti-sparkleist. Along with Brian on sax/mandolin, Scott on drums, David on piano, Skip on Bass and her dear old dad Fortune Esposito on Guitar, Jenna was consistent during each of the six sections of the show that highlighted great Italian music brought to life by an even greater voice. During Tony Bennett's Rags to Riches, Esposito hit every note perfectly in poise and emotion. Tony if you are reading, we think you should do a duet with her on this one. Jenna Esposito's rich voice even won Tony Bennett's praise himself when Jenna did it in front of him at Birdland- he told her: "Sweetheart, you sang it beautifully." See you don't even need to listen to Peachy alone, listen to Tony himself.
You can tell Jenna truly enjoys what she does and she exudes joy in every note. It even makes the food you eat during her performance taste better. A little girl with a big voice, Jenna Esposito not only sings well but her facial expressions during the songs show the audience she is a hot sketch and quick to respond. Since we just covered Fashion's Night Out for the second year in a row, we'd suggest to all of the big fashion names that they sign Jenna up to sing at their soiree for next year! Patty Smyth sang at BVLGARI this year and we know Jenna could do it:
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/09/nightlight-nightlight-of-all.html
Though you may think Jenna is sugar and spice and everything nice early on, you'll see as the performance progresses that she also is the girl you want with you in a dark alley in Manhattan as her serious side comes through. Her Vendetta songs are priceless and you have to hear them. Some of them are in Italian, however, if you do not speak Italian (and Peachy does not) that is not a problem as Jenna's expressions are so key that the message is totally clear. Of course her voice is clear as well, and the pure talent that Jenna possesses is what most people's voices would sound like only after they've gone through some serious filtration.
Here she is doing Sinatra - a video
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/09/mover-and-shaker-jenna-esposito-does.html
We had a chance to chat with Jenna herself after the show!
Peachy Deegan: We are excited that you have started to sing your own songs. Tell our readers please how this has come about with your first one you unveiled.
Jenna Esposito: Well, "Fa L'Amore Con Te" is an original song, but it's by a good friend of mine, not me (although I love it so much, I wish I could take credit for it! The song is written by Ernie Rossi, who is the owner of E. Rossi & Co. in Little Italy. The shop has been in his family for 100 years, and back in the day, they were major publishers of sheet music. I first got introduced to Ernie through a mutual friend in the Italian-American community, Bill Russo. Bill thought that I might be interested in meeting Ernie because of my history with Connie Francis; when Ernie's father was running the store, they actually published 2 of the Italian songs Connie Francis recorded! Bill introduced me to Ernie, and Ernie and I hit it off immediately, and I brought my dad in to meet Ernie shortly thereafter. Well, one day, my dad and I were in the shop, talking to Ernie, and he asked us if we'd like to hear a song he'd written. We said, "sure," and Ernie pulled out his nylon string guitar and proceeded to play "Fa L'Amore Con Te" for us. Well, about 8 bars in, my dad and I looked at each other, jaws dropped - it was an absolutely beautiful song!! When he'd finished, Ernie asked us what we thought, and we told him how much we loved it...so he asked if I'd like to perform it, and I gave him a resounding "yes!" Since then, we've performed the song at every opportunity that's presented itself, and we have a recording of it that we're in the process of mixing...we hope to have it playing at a radio station near you sometime in the very near future!
Do you have future plans to release original music?
I hope to....I am very open to recording new material, especially songs like "Fa L'Amore Con Te," which is contemporary but hearkens back to the golden age of the Great American Songbook.
We know Connie is your favorite of what you do but we like you doing Frank the best. What are your favorite Sinatra songs to sing and why?
Haha! Yes, Connie is my fave, and I'm a very loyal gal...but I do have an awfully big soft spot for Frank. Can I cheat and give you two? It's hard to narrow it down even that much, but I'll do my best..."All The Way" and "Come Fly With Me" - for completely different reasons. "All The Way" is a song of the heart - it's the words you want to say to your boyfriend or girlfriend, but can't ever find the courage to...it's what you're thinking all the time, though. It's saying, "I am sincere in my affections, and I'll love you the best way I know how for as long as I live...(if you'll let me)"...but in a much prettier, more poetic way. "Come Fly With Me," on the other hand, is a song of swagger and excitement. It's swingin', it's upbeat, it's exciting, and it's the exact opposite of "All The Way." Where "All The Way" asks permission to be loving, "Come Fly With Me" takes charge and lets the beloved be honored to come along for the ride!
Your nephew Charlie wrote a nice list of reasons why we should go see your show, but we missed him since this show conflicted with his bedtime. Will he be joining you for a duet again anytime in the near future?
Oh, I hope so! He does a great "I've Been Working On The Railroad" and we're starting to work with him on some holiday songs. He's also quite a drummer - he's had a basic drum set for about 6 months now, and for his 3rd birthday a few weeks ago, all he kept asking for was a hi-hat for his drumset (which, of course, he received!). I keep saying to my dad and my sister (also musicians) that Charlie is going to surpass us all - and I truly believe it!
We know you are part Irish too. When will you sing Irish music and what songs might we hear?
Well, I do sing "Irish Lullabye" and I've been known to join in on "Danny Boy" and "When Irish Eyes Are Smiling" at a good ol' sing-a-long at a pub. I hope to incorporate the Irish part of my heritage sometime in the near future. FYI, I also took Irish step dancing lessons as a child...but PLEASE don't ask me to do a jig unless I've been plied with a few pints of Guinness.
Tell us about your new glitter please as the Product Alert column may need to do some research into a possible feature.....
Oh, PLEASE get this into the Product Alert column! As friends and followers of mine know, I am addicted to all things glittery and sparkly. One of my closest friends has actually given me the nickname "Sparklicious Angel." Well, I was in Sephora the other day, looking for nailpolish, when I passed a display with a big tag for a product called "Sparklicity Shimmer Dust," by Tarina Tarantino, and when I looked at the product, it was in a petite bottle with a pink atomizer. Well, without my mind really catching up to what was going on, my hand shot out, grabbed the bottle by the atomizer, and started spritzing. I was soon covered in a fairy-dust-like coating of very delicate, feminine sparkle...which sold me completely! I marched up to the counter, handed over my V.I.B. (Very Important Beauty Insider) card, and paid up, thinking that the sparkles would be great for the Dopo Teatro show! When I got home, I decided to research them a little, and was surprised and delighted to find out that the method used to deliver the sparkles is an ITALIAN method!!! So, obviously, the sparkles were meant to be a part of That's Amore: Jenna Sings Love, Italian Style.
When will be your next Manhattan show?
September 26th at the main stage at the San Gennaro Festival in Little Italy.
Peachy brought a panelist with her that is fabulously accomplished in the arts, and she says:
This is not a retro show, ladies and gentlemen, in spite of the song list and repetoire of the lovely Jenna Esposito. She and her very talented band manage a 25 song hit list of Italian/American popular songs from the Atomic Era for a set. If you know the roster, you’re sure to get that warm fuzzy feeling: Dean Martin, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Connie Francis, and, the Chairman of the Board, Frank Sinatra. If you aren’t as familiar as some of us with these artists and their songbooks, this is a kick-ass class in pop music history, Vegas style.
Jenna starts the show with a glint in her eye and by the third song ( Tony Bennett’s ‘I Wanna Be Around’), both she and her band were in gear. In the Rosemary Clooney ‘Mambo Italiano’, even the audience got into the swing of things. Jenna uses her breathing techniques to add hints of sexy, and her lung capacity to warble, caress, lilt and belt the rest of the time.
The chick songs (we called them ‘ladies’choice at our Saturday night dance in the 1960’s), as interpreted by the perky Jenna, brought home the feel of the times, and gave good credence to this songbook . Love knows no generation gap, and getting back at the dirty dog who broke your heart is sweet in any era.
Why was it that half of the lyrics sung in the 1950’s were in Italian? The community that spawned Vegas, and gave us The Sopranos knows how to behave with music around, and whether this audience was Italian or not, somehow we all knew the lyrics to “Volare”, and joined in. Jenna does great audience participation banter, but uses it to engage, not to fill in. Her renditions give us a rare visit into a happy, productive time in this country, without being revisionist.
By the time she rolled into her Connie Francis set, and tore into “Mama”, even the guys in the audience were shushing their neighbors. Jenna does a really good Connie. She could very well be the reincarnation of Connie Francis, if the songstress weren’t still with us. So here’s what I propose: a Broadway version of the Connie Francis Hit Story. Open with Connie Francis herself, doing a set, then letting Jenna on , and doing her thing. They wrap with a few of the harmonic duets Connie Francis made so popular, and wow us!
I’ll be there!
Charlie, you were right! Hope to see you next time, and in the meantime we're sure you're thinking of ten more reasons why Jenna is the best.
http://www.whomyouknow.com/2010/09/top-10-reasons-you-should-go-see-my.html
Her passion is clear.
Her dedication is clear.
The care Jenna puts into each rendition could not be better.
This is the next hot talent of the stage, and you should be watching her.
Whom You Know highly recommends Jenna Esposito! Now go buy her cd's...!
http://jennaesposito.com/
