Critically Acclaimed Jazz Singer Denise Donatelli At Vitello’s Thursday, October 21, 2010

Oct. 15, 2010 - PRLog -- "WHEN LIGHTS ARE LOW."  USA Today – Top 10 Playlist Pick by music critic Elysa Gardner

Vitello's Jazz & Supper Club
Tix/Shows--$25 -- 8 :00 & 9:30 PM
4349 Tujunga, Studio City, CA  91604
Champagne Toast and Dinner Seating 7 PM
For reservations 818-769-0905
www.vitellosrestaurant.com

With the release of her third solo CD, "When Lights Are Low," on Savant Records, Denise Donatelli proves that "What Lies Within" -- is one great jazz singer!  Her singing has been called “a feast for the ears and heart.”  She has a voice “that will age like fine vintage wine and every song she touches has the confidence of someone who’s making an initial defining statement--a jazz singer that belongs in the upper echelon of modern day jazz vocalists.”  

Known for surrounding herself with some of the top jazz musicians in the industry, "When Lights Are Low" reunites her with Grammy® nominated producer, pianist and arranger Geoffrey Keezer, who will be appearing with her,  along with Peter Sprague on guitar, Hamilton Price on bass, Marvin”Smitty” Smith on drums and Rob Lockhart on saxophone, plus some surprise guests.

"When Lights Are Low" is very much a collaborative recording consisting of a variety of combinations with voice,--from solo piano to a string quintet, guitar and percussion, a vocal choir, trumpet and sax and rhythm section.  Donatelli is IN the band. She doesn't sing songs as much as she shapes them, with a big-as-all-outdoors range. The songs chosen range from well-worn standards in fresh arrangements and interpretations, to contemporary songs by Sting, and others.  Denise says she’s probably more influenced by instrumentalists rather than other singers and this results in some exceptional original variations on the songs she sings.  

A native of Allentown, Pennsylvania, Denise began her musical journey early in life when she began playing “Silent Night” by ear on the family piano at the age of three. At six, she was the youngest participant and winner at the National Music Federation piano competition. Fortunately, her vocal skills and love of jazz survived the 14 years of classical piano studies.  

Denise always loved to sing and soon realized that her true passion was jazz and popular music. However, she put her musical aspirations aside to raise a family.  Little did she know that a relocation to Atlanta and a subsequent divorce in the late 1980’s would lead her to her musical destiny.  A pianist friend took her to a jazz jam and convinced her to sit in with Russell Malone. It wasn’t long before she became entrenched in Atlanta's jazz scene and became the performer in residence at the Ritz Carlton Hotel, where jazz vocalist Freddie Cole would frequent and occasionally sit in with her.

Currently residing in Los Angeles, Denise continues to win audiences  performing at leading jazz venues and festivals, including New York’s famed Dizzy’s Club, Coca-Cola at Lincoln Center, the Salt Lake City International Jazz Festival and the San Jose Jazz Festival, to name a few. Denise’s innate musicianship and pure vocal tone have won her spots singing for episodes of The Simpsons, Frasier and Turner Classic Movies as well as national and international commercials for CNN, Lexus, Mercedes-Benz and others.  Denise has recorded three solo CDs -- "In the Company of Friends," "What Lies Within" and her highly anticipated latest, "When Lights Are Low."


www.denisedonatelli.com