With his smooth, deep tones and lively jazz ensemble, Paul Marinaro brought a warm atmosphere to a chilly Evanston in subzero weather. The Chicago-based jazz singer released his new album “Mood Ellington” in November and performed at Evanston’s Studio5 Performing Arts Center on Saturday and Sunday.
In his new album, Marinaro covers songs composed by Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, a jazz composer who collaborated with Ellington to create their most popular works.
Marinaro worked with 13 arrangers to make Ellington’s music his own. He compared the process of creating the album to building the structure of a house: Composers are the building blocks of the house and arrangers come to decorate it.
Even with the same lyrics and structure, each song can be styled differently through beats and sound effects.
“We wanted the (jazz) ensemble to mimic the colors that Ellington used in his orchestrations,” Marinaro said. “(The arrangers and I) sketched out basic ideas of how I wanted the songs to feel, the tempos and the different concepts.”
Despite the album’s long list of creators, Marinaro was able to keep it cohesive by creating a base with every song and letting the arrangers work their magic.
Marinaro shared his passion for Ellington and jazz by educating his audience; between each song, he gave a brief context on his choice behind it. Most of the time, he said it was just because he really loved it, which received a few laughs from the crowd. Marinaro’s rich voice filled the room and he connected with his audience through stories and humor.
His fans seem to love him for not just his voice, but his genuine character. Before singing “I Like the Sunrise,” he encouraged the audience to retain hope in the world despite living through difficult times and uncertainty.
“I only sing things that I feel like I can tell stories with,” Marinaro said. “If you’re an artist like myself singing that song about hope, (and then) you find someone else who sung it with a different perspective, then you find your own voice within. There’s depth to (jazz) that (people) may not realize.”
Jazz enthusiasts David and Michelle Mahlan, who frequently venture around the Chicago area to see live jazz performances, said Sunday’s event was their sixth time seeing Marinaro.
David Mahlan said his father introduced him to jazz at a young age. For him, Marinaro’s music means something more to him than just music.
“Duke Ellington songs are part of the (Great) American Songbook, and (Marinaro) in particular does a great job at presenting those in a real, interesting and new way,” David Mahlan said. “A lot of times, people are kind of put off by jazz because they don’t understand what’s going on necessarily. They’re not familiar with the material that’s being performed.”
David Mahlan said he enjoys how jazz allows improvisation and interpretation.
While he was raised with jazz, Michelle Mahlan is a more recent fan. Still, her love for the genre comes from a similar place.
“What I appreciate about (jazz) is seeing the individual musicians that make up the band,” Mahlan said. “They’re making that music together, and it’s not going to be the same next time.”
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