Duo Ventuno
“Duo Ventuno” is a jazz piano/vocals/bass duo focusing mainly on the romantic early twentieth-century repertoire.
Recent live video clips:
(Vocal)
Pennies from Heaven (Johnston/Burke)
This standout winner from 1936 demonstrates depression-era resolve to look on the bright side — a happy outlook against a background of despair. It was recorded by Bing Crosby, Billie Holiday, Tony Bennett and many others.
Never Let Me Go (Livingston/Evans)
A heart-wrenching ballad performed by Nat King Cole in the 1956 movie “The Scarlet Hour”. I wrote an intro that (faintly) evokes Moorish Spain.
This Love of Mine (Parker/Sanicola)
Recorded by Frank Sinatra in 1941 with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, this medium-tempo number is about unrequited love.
A Time for Love (Mandel/Webster)
Written for the 1966 film “An American Dream”, this song describes the dreamy intoxication of new love. I adapted an intro in the manner of a well-known Bill Evans solo recording.
Lyrics for this 1939 popular song tell one side of a casual conversation between former lovers, revealing that the narrator still “carries a torch”.
(Instrumental)
This popular (and swinging) jazz ballad from 1938 has been performed and recorded by an uncountable number of musicians. It is a nostalgic reflection on characters from times gone by. On that note, I prepared an intro in the manner of Mulgrew Miller.
This 1945 jewel is one of the myriad popular songs written by Harry Warren, vaudeville and later Hollywood composer who wrote 900-odd songs. It was performed in the film “Diamond Horseshoe” Recorded by many jazz musicians, most notably Chet Baker.
Written in 1928, this perennial favorite has been covered by just about everyone. I use a technique called “locked hands” to deliver the melodic statement.