Paul Marinaro
Biography
In a short period of time, Paul Marinaro is making quite a name for himself in music circles as has developed into an accomplished and respected vocalist. The youngest of a large Italian family, Paul was a born singer, growing up in a home surrounded by music. Singing to the radio by the time he was four, Marinaro was raised on the standards, hearing his father singing or playing Sinatra and other classics from the Great American Songbook. Eventually this led to Paul becoming involved with and trained in music as a young child.
From the time he was a young teenager, Paul was an avid listener to all forms of music, with artists such as Billie Holiday, Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald as his “teachers”. Through these recordings, Paul quickly understood the importance of the lyric and of conveying emotion through phrasing. He continued pursuing his love of music and eventually received his Degree in Music.
After Paul’s vocal debut at an upstate New York nightclub, pianist Al Tinney, one of the founders of Be-Bop and a collaborator of jazz icons Charlie Parker, Max Roach, Dizzy Gillespie, and Billie Holiday, took the young Marinaro under his wings, encouraging Paul and assisting him in finding other venues to perform, enabling him to discover and develop his style.
After this point, Paul had become a regular at Buffalo, New York’s nationally renowned nightspot The Anchor Bar, noted birthplace of the “chicken wing” and a purveyor of Jazz for 80 years. Paul performed on weekends as a “guest vocalist” with jazz and cabaret great Dodo Greene, the first female vocalist signed by Blue Note Records. Marinaro eventually went on to become a featured vocalist of Jimmy Gomes and The Jazz Example, a noted quartet that performed throughout East Coast nightclubs.
Paul came to Chicago in late summer, 2000, and has worked tirelessly ever since. The work has paid off, as today he is one of the most in demand vocalists in the city. Paul has had successful runs in clubs, concert halls, and stages throughout the city and has worked alongside some of the most respected musicians in town. He enjoyed a two year run alongside Chicago legend, vocalist/pianist Judy Roberts, before she relocated to Phoenix in 2008. The pair quickly became a highly popular duo, and demonstrated a musical chemistry that is rare.
Most currently, The Paul Marinaro Trio, featuring Paul with pianist Christopher White, and bassist Joe Policastro, has been enjoying a very warm response to their interpretations of their favorite music...the American Songbook.
While Paul is an admitted jazz devotee, he doesn’t classify himself in any one genre, and allows his songs and song choices to take shape through many different styles. Paul’s vocal style is peppered with traces of his influences, yet he has successfully forged his own style and personality, and is passionate about breathing new life into the material he chooses.
Paul has finally chosen to accept that he was most likely born in the wrong era, and being a reluctant member of Generation X, he unfortunately missed the chance to see many of the “Great Ones” who came before him. However, he had the good luck and fortune to be able to see and befriend one of his jazz idols, the legendary vocalist Anita O’Day. At the time of their meeting, she had been in the business for over 65 years, and Anita gladly shares her immense knowledge with her young friend and admirer. “Seeing her perform for the first time was without a doubt, one of the biggest thrills of my life”, recounts Marinaro. “Getting to know and speak with her, has been an opportunity beyond my dreams. I’ll never forget it.”
In an age of contrivances, imitators, and fads, Paul enjoys being true to himself and to his material. From swing to torch, from the classics to the contemporary, from jazz to Broadway to pop, Paul’s interpretations are breathtaking. They are, at the same time, hip yet sentimental, fresh and true. Marinaro’s warm baritone voiced is filled with nuance and wit. His performance’s come to life with his stylish delivery of songs, all possessing a fresh, playful, and inventive sense of rhythm and melody. Through his performances, Paul has the ability to melt your heart and possesses a sincerity that touches an audience, making for a heartfelt and unique musical experience.
