Connections -- Haley's Musical Buddies & Associates

[john]

On October 9th, 2015 Dave Damiani and the No Vacancy Orchestra hosted a SINATRA 100 concert at The Grove in Los Angeles, CA.


I noticed that Mike Cottone and Erm Navarro of PMJ fame are playing in the No Vacancy Orchestra on this one.

It seems that Alex Frank (bass), Gary Matsumoto (piano) & Aaron McLendon (drums) are Damiani's core musicians. They seem to be the Instigators when they play without horns. The NVO is the name with their is a horn section, which varies in size.

With the an exception (Bijon Watson) or two the horn section playing with DD and Haley in Bethesda and Atlantic City appear to be local musicians. That makes sense given that the band is playing weekends at a very small venue (not sure how DD swings it financially) and has several LA based players spending at least five weeks in the area.


^ On August 5 Haley, Maiya Sykes and other singers will be performing with DD and the NVO at this venue (The Grove) in a tribute to the Coconut Grove.


h/t Tusk

Speaking of Maiya Sykes...

From a review of a 11/30/2015 performance of DD and the NVO at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club.

Dave Damiani Shoots for the Moon

It can be a difficult thing when multiple musical foci are competing for attention on the same stage. Rush are somehow able to divide attention evenly and fairly; Clarence Clemons would form the perfect duo with Bruce; but in big band jazz, it’s another story, especially in a vocal big band jazz. The singer and the orchestra often lock in a tug-of-war for the spotlight. Who has the better arrangement, the better harmonies, the better phrasing; who captures the crowd’s attention? Dave Damiani & the No Vacancy Orchestra found themselves in a similar struggle during their recent performance at the Bethesda Blues & Jazz Supper Club.

Damiani styles himself after Frank Sinatra, the poster child and most enigmatic performer in the history of vocal, big band jazz—cocktail jazz, as he put it. Old Blue Eyes has long been debated by jazz critics, scholars and fans alike as to whether he truly belongs in the echelons of the jazz world. His career balanced between the world of serious, swing and big bands (he often performed with Count Basie) and the Hollywood-ized, big band pop that ruled American airwaves for decades. Damiani clearly aspires to a Frank model-finely polished shoes, snappy suit, cool, Playboy-esque demeanor; and that voice. Dave, like Frank, knows he’s not the best singer; so he tries to find numbers that suit the particular, expressive qualities of his voice.

...When in complete synchronicity, it was fair to picture that Damiani and the group were performing Strayhorn vocal arrangements, some of the most engaging and balanced in big band jazz, for Sinatra. The gumbo of pop, cocktail jazz and symphonic jazz was an intriguing scent in the air of the art-deco big room of Bethesda Blues and Jazz, but the group still clearly has some laboratory work to do. Vocalist and orchestra—specifically the rhythm section on occasion—had trouble synchronizing rhythmically during the 90 minute set, notably on a well-intentioned but ill-executed take on the Four Seasons’ “Can't Take My Eyes Off You.” “Moon” was the exact opposite: expert execution by both parties.

.... Of the other singers that walked through the revolving door on-stage, the only one was Maiya Sykes, a onetime contestant on NBC’s The Voice. Displaying a tone that swung between an Amy Winehouse-like, nasal-focused soul jazz and Mary J. Blige-indebted boisterous belting, Sykes brought a classic tone to her numbers and the orchestra. On numbers like Winehouse’s “You Know I’m No Good,” and Sharon Jones’ “100 Days, 100 Nights,” the group matched Sykes’ classic, revenge-ballad approach with anchoring riffs by the baritone sax, a tight contrast with the other horns. “Bye Bye Blackbird” was, tonally, closer to Aretha Franklin than Ella Fitzgerald, but it featured one of the more adventurous arrangements of the night. There was a real attention to detail, with little single piano notes that rung out as a sweet punctuation mark on the horns’ savory, yet airy prose. These moments, like the ones with Damiani, demonstrated a real sense of cohesion in the No Vacancy Orchestra...

https://www.ontaponline.com/2015/11/30/r...n-bethesda

[Miguel]

the horn section playing with DD and Haley in Bethesda and Atlantic City appear to be local musicians

Business-wise, that does make sense given the expense of flying and housing a large band.

[Miguel]

Casey Abrams Retweeted

NewAlbumJustCameOUT ‏@MikePosner 10m

The legend @JSaysKnee of the Mike Posner Band.

[Tusk]

Haley gets a mention in this new LA Weekly, Anderson Paak (Breezy Lovejoy) story....

Anderson .Paak's Long, Hard Road to Fame Was Worth the Wait

His skills as a drummer also eventually helped him get his family off of couches and into an apartment. In 2012, he landed a well-paid gig playing drums for former American Idol contestant Haley Reinhart

[Tusk]

jsayswho
Seeing StarTrek on break from the #FutureNowTour and who do I see and hear but ME performing with @pmjofficial @scottbradlee ! 2 advertisements later I hear two friends who introduced me to the world, @haleyreinhart & @caseybassy in an Extra gum ad. Cue me crying in theater, sometimes gratitude smacks you full force...? #PMJ for life #GingerbreadBand for life

scottbradlee
Always such a pleasure to play w you bro, congrats on the awesome Mike Posner gig!

haleyreinhart
Awe man, full circle! Love you buddy

caseybassy
Love you man. @jsayswho

[Miguel]

Scott posted the print version of his mention in Adweek. Good positioning on the page for him. Note the picture of PMJ at the bottom too.

[Tusk]

Anders Grahn ‏@andersgrahn 18h18 hours ago
I'm in @MusicWeek

shout out to @andrewmcmahon @HaleyReinhart @flansongs @tingsek @buniquerecords @SpiritMusicGrp

Haley Reinhart ‏@HaleyReinhart 3m3 minutes ago
@andersgrahn Yayyy!! This is huge, congrats my friend

[Miguel]

Jacob is moving to New York.

jacobluttrell78

Don't miss this, folks. All dopeness!!! Thanks for having me, @caseybassy !!!! Maybe one of my last shows in LA for a while as I'm relocating very soon.... #hotelcafe #hollywood #movingtonyc

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIqx3Oag50h/...luttrell78

---

Maybe related to a songwriting opportunity?

Kehlani has shared her new single online. The audio clip for “Gangsta” was posted to the singer-songwriter’s YouTube channel on Thursday (August 04, 2016). “Gangsta” – now available for download via iTunes – was written by Kehlani along with Jeremy “JMike” Coleman, Skylar Grey, Jason Evigan, Andrew “Djemba Djemba” Swanson, and Jacob Luttrell. The track is also included on the original motion picture soundtrack, “Suicide Squad,” out now via Atlantic Records.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIxBvDoBT31/...obluttrell

Britney Spears’ ninth studio collection “Glory” – featuring the Carla Marie Williams-penned / Young Fyre-produced “Private Show” – will arrive on August 26 via RCA Records. The follow-up to 2013’s “Britney Jean” reportedly boasts further productions from Jason Evigan, Robopop, Cashmere Cat, Ian Kirkpatrick, DJ Mustard, Christopher Baran, Nick Monson, and BloodPop. On the songwriting front, Spears has teamed up with Justin Tranter, Julia Michaels, Simon Wilcox, Chantal Kreviazuk, Ilsey Juber, Phoebe Ryan, Jacob Luttrell, Matthew Koma, Breyan Isaac, and Danny Parker.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BIwxHWdhye1/...obluttrell [/quote]

[Miguel]

Rob Kleiner ‏@robkleiner 1h

My interview with @SongExploder http://songexploder.net/andra-day - detailing the writing process behind @AndraDayMusic 's Forever Mine

http://songexploder.net/andra-day

The first time I heard Andra Day it was because someone wondered if Haley was performing a song in a particular commercial -- turned out to be AD.

[Tusk]

Dylan Chambers ‏@dylan_chambers 9m9 minutes ago
Jammin in my apartment to @HaleyReinhart's record today. Practicing for an upcoming private gig with her. #illtakethecheckplease