Jenna Mammina
| Jenna Mammina | |
|---|---|
| Born | St. Joseph, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, pop |
| Occupation(s) | Singer |
| Labels | Mamma Grace, Blue Coast |
| Website |
www |
Jenna Mammina is a jazz/pop singer from St. Joseph, Michigan but based in San Francisco since 1986.
Biography
Mammina was born in St. Joseph, Michigan,[1] and began singing as a child, singing in church from the age of five, and appearing in school musicals.[2] In her teens she learned piano and guitar and performed with local bands.[2] She attended Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, and Laney College in Oakland, before settling in San Francisco.[2]
After session work with The Spinners and Narada Michael Walden,[1] Mammina has gone on to record five albums, all released on her own label, Mamma Grace.[2] She performs as often as 250 times a year, and has performed with Bobby McFerrin, Bobby Watson, Nancy King, Andy Narell, and Steve Coleman.[2] Derk Robertson, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, picked her debut album, Under the Influence, at number nine in his top albums of that year.[3] Her second album, Meant to Be, was nominated for a California Music Award in the 'Outstanding jazz album' category.[4]
Mammina is also a music educator, running workshops titled 'Scat for Cats' and 'So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star' in schools and universities.[2]
Musical style
Mammina combines together folk music, pop, and jazz, often performing with guitarist Andre Bush. She covers a wide range of music including songs ranging from Abbey Lincoln (her mentor) to Elvis Costello, U2, and Tom Waits, as well as original compositions.[1][2][5] Her voice has variously been described as "sweet and flexible",[6] "whisper-like" with "air-brushed phrasings and silky nuance",[7] and "tiny, thinnish, high-pitched".[8]
Mammina herself says of her style:
"I don't want to categorize the music. It's not that I don't know who I am. I don't sing classical, and I'm not a soul singer, or an R&B singer, but I have been influenced by that stuff too. I can sing a Patsy Cline tune, a James Taylor tune or a Led Zeppelin tune, but I do it with my own flair."[9]
Discography
- Under the Influence (1999)
- Just a Little Bit (2000)
- Meant to Be (2001)
- Art of the Duo (2003)
- Inner Smile (2005)
- The Music and the Magic of Ms. Abbey Lincoln (2013)
References
- 1 2 3 Richardson, Derk (2001) "It's 'Dirty Work,' But Jenna Mammina's Got To Do It: Bay Area jazz vocalist reworks new rock standards", San Francisco Chronicle, 30 August 2001
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Yanow, Scott "Jenna Mammina Biography", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ↑ Robertson, Derk (1999) "One Picky Critic's Top Albums of 1999", San Francisco Chronicle, 30 December 1999
- ↑ Selvin, Joel (2003) "Cammies to be a free concert: Donnas lead music awards with eight", San Francisco Chronicle, 13 March 2003
- ↑ Elwood, Philip (2001) "Jenna Mammina's free-spirited cabaret busts the fourth wall: Singer's interactive style creates a house-party atmosphere at Yoshi's", San Francisco Chronicle, 6 September 2001
- ↑ Tanow, Scott "Art of the Duo Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ↑ Edelstein, Paula "Meant to Be Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ↑ Nastos, Michael G. "Under the Influence Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
- ↑ Gilbert, Andrew (2002) "Big Range Rider: Local fave Jenna Mammina returns to Carmel with her genre-hopping repertoire", Monterey County Weekly, 19 December 2002