An Exclusive Interview with Jerry Costanzo
Considered one of the best and busiest singer/bandleaders on the scene today, Jerry Costanzo and his own big band – the Jerry Costanzo Orchestra, have gained popularity among audiences young and old.
The critiques have called his style of singing “brings a Sinatra-like quality as he leads”. Dedicated to the preservation of the American songbook, Jerry released his first CD entitled “Destination Moon”.
Ucombo Music Reviews editor Meg Dilts had the opportunity to interview him on his musical upbringing and the release of his first CD.
Meg: Hi Jerry, thanks again for letting us interview you. You were born into a musical family and you started listening to Jazz at an early age, how early?
Jerry: I grew up in the 60’s and 70’s and my parents were from the “Hey Day” of the “Jazz & Swing era”. They constantly had records playing and the radio on. As young kids, my brothers, sister and I were not allowed to listen to Rock & Roll when traveling with my parents in the car. We knew all the great standards before we were teenagers.
Meg: Your father started teaching you saxophone when you were in third grade, was that the instrument of your choice?
Jerry: No! My father was a reed player and so was my grandfather. So my first instrument was my grandfather’s alto sax that he played in the Army band during WWI. I wanted to play the piano but we never owned one and my father was not going to pay for lessons when he was perfectly capable of teaching me the sax. I always tell him, I might have found my voice much earlier in life if I didn’t have a mouthpiece plugging up my face!
Meg: You studied acting at the Herbert Berghoff studio in NYC after high school. So you were not thinking about pursuing a career in music initially?
Jerry: Nope! I didn’t start pursuing music/singing until I was in my 30’s. I was a jack-of-all-trades and a master of none before that. You name it! I was an Auto Mechanic, Salesmen, painter, electrician, plumber, and carpenter. My major trade was Communications lineman. I sang a lot of tunes hanging off of telephone poles. One time a lady yelled out her window. “Hey Mister. You missed your calling, you should be a singer. It wasn’t long after, that I took her advice LOL!!!
Meg: While you were attending the acting school you landed a job working for Al Pacino as his personal aid and chauffeur that must have been an interesting job. Did you get to meet some interesting people?
Jerry: Ok! Who did I meet? Let’s see… Francis Coppole, Robert DeNiro, Joe Pesci, Debra Winger, John Huston, Drew Barrymore, Martin Sheen, Mikhail Baryshnikov to name a few. That and a chocolate nickel got me nowhere. I was young and dumb, You know what they say “If I only knew then what I know now” Yikes!!
Meg: LOL. What brought you back to music and especially to the American big band songbook setting?
Jerry: Like I said, I was always a jazz fan and I especially loved to listen to singers. Bing, Nat, Sinatra, Ella, Torme, J Hartman. These are just a few of my favorites. I guess what really brought me back was, when I got involved with my Dad’s big band “The Memories Of Swing” I became passionate about singing and it didn’t take long before I was hooked and I’ve never looked back.
Meg: Besides your busy performance schedule, you recently released your first CD entitled “Destination Moon”. You are dedicated to the preservation of the American old songs, isn’t it riskier to sing songs that have been sung and recorded numerous times?
Jerry: Nope! Not at all. You would be surprised to know that 80% of the people that book me for private and public events are in the 25-40 year old age bracket. The reason for that is, It’s just GREAT music. They don’t call them “Timeless Standards” and “The Greatest Music Of All Time” for nothing ya know!!!
You can also thank people like Michael Buble. Harry Connick Jr. Diana Krall, Boz Scaggs, to name a few and all the rockers who are singing standards now. They — like me, are keeping this music alive and well. Don’t you worry about! The Great American Song Book is here to stay.
Meg: It’s great talking to you. Thanks again and the best of luck in everything.
Jerry: You’re Welcome. Thank you,
Visit Jerry on www.jerrycostanzo.com
Jerry Costanzo is represented by Redwood Entertainment, Inc.
Artists Interviews, Independent Releases
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Independent music reviews, Jerry Costanzo, the American songbook, Ucombo Music Reviews
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