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Take Five With Tony Vitti

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Meet Tony Vitti:

In 2008, I was a singer in a metal band, but I decided to play jazz and blues in 2012, after some tours, some scenes.

Instrument(s):

I'm a singer, even if I play guitar, I sing, sing and sing again.

Teachers and/or influences?

I can't say I have a teacher because I always learn everything on my own. Music lessons are expensive and I never had the opportunity to take some. I should, but hey, I'm doing it my way. I can say I have influences, and here the list: Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Miles Davis, Michael Buble, Nina Simone, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Bobby Darin, Louis Armstrong, Andrea Bocelli, Sammy Davis Jr., Nat King Cole, Ray Charles, Perry Como, Bing Crosby, Vic Damone, Russ Columbo, Billy Eckstine, Dick Haymes, Al Bowlly, Jean Sablon, Maurice Chevalier, Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Willy Moon, Matt Shadows (Avenged Sevenfold), Sully Erna (Godsmack). p>

I knew I wanted to be a musician when...

I listened to "Luck Be A Lady" in 2008, in front of the Bellagio (Las Vegas). It was violent enough to strike my heart down.

Your sound and approach to music:

Well, it's about an attitude. You gotta play the music of your soul, right? I play mine. I express violence through jazz and blues. Some think it's through post-hardcore bands that you can express violence, I mean, turn the volume at the maximum with hard breaks and soli... I say a real violent and dangerous situation is calm but aggressive.

Your teaching approach:

I don't have the pretention to teach people. I mean, come on, I never took lessons, how can I give some? But sometimes, some ask for advice, I just say: live your life, express what comes from your heart, it's big enough.

Your dream band:

It's something I never thought about... I don't even know if I would be able to sing with them. We will say what I would like to see (even if some are dead): Sinatra with Wynton Marsalis, Dean Martin with Johnny Cash...yeah.

Road story: Your best or worst experience:

I use to have some girly fans that.. haheum... expressed their "fanattitude" by showing their boobs with my name on... After my first appearance on TV, someone came to me in the underground and said: "Hey! I saw you on TV. Do you find it great to expose boobs on TV? Huh? Seriously, I didn't vote for you!" There were about 15 persons around us, I didn't know where to move, what to do... I was on a diet at this moment, I said: "Fuck it, gonna have a pizza."

Favorite venue:

I loved to play on TV, it's electrifying. People are smart, sweet and help you fast.

Your favorite recording in your discography and why?

I made an self-produced album, Welcome to the Family, but I will take a song from my forthcoming EP (March 2013), Live Your Life. My favorite one is "Amen. Bang, Bang" because I wrote it in New York City, observing life through the night.

The first Jazz album I bought was:

It was New York, New York, from Frank Sinatra, in fact, it's my grandmother that offered it to me. It's very important for me.

What do you think is the most important thing you are contributing musically?

It's a hard question. I will say that when our generation is a fan of easy music, made by engineers and not musicians, I'm proud to add a little part of me, of music that comes from heart, to this generation. Maybe it's not a lot, but at least, this music lives a little more.

Did you know...

I love pizza?

CDs you are listening to now:

The Journey, Escape (Columbia);

Frank Sinatra, Theme from New York, New York (Capitol;

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton, Play the Blues Live atJazz from Lincoln Center (Warner Bros. ;

Louis Armstrong, What a Wonderful World (Verve;

Hollywood Undead, American Tragedy (A&M / Octone).

Desert Island picks:

Frank Sinatra, Theme from New York, New York (Capitol;

Wynton Marsalis & Eric Clapton, Play the Blues Live at Jazz from Lincoln Center (Warner Bros. ;

Godsmack, The Other Side (Universal;

Led Zeppelin, IV (Atlantic;

Miles Davis, Kind of Blue (Sony).

How would you describe the state of jazz today?

Jazz is not over. We always talk about jazz like a old and classy thing that disappears more and more every year. But it's false; according to me, jazz is in a revival age, shining bright like a diamond.

What are some of the essential requirements to keep jazz alive and growing?

I think we can forget the media. In my opinion, k=jazz needs to keep this true scene, whatever the size. It needs peoples ready to smash the floor with their feet. And the main instrument is the heart.

What is in the near future?

I am currently working with Jetse de Jong and Clément Drigon. We are working on a seven-song EP, Live Your Life. It will mix jazz and blues.

What's your greatest fear when you perform?

My only fear is to disappoint peoples. I fear it. The rest? I live it.

What song would you like played at your funeral?

Wow...do I have to die? Well, if it's the case, I would love "My Way," from Frank Sinatra.

What is your favorite song to whistle or sing in the shower?

It's "For Once In My Life," from Tony Bennett.

By Day:

I'm a student in a Law School, I'll move to New York City, maybe next year.

If I weren't a jazz musician, I would be a:

Chef. Yep, I cook pastas, pizzas, arancini... everything that comes in the italian food, baby!

Photo Credit

Courtesy of Tony Vitti

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