Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Paul Marinaro: Not Quite Yet

Paul Marinaro: Not Quite Yet

By Richard J Salvucci
December 26, 2022
View read count

The cover of the album is vaguely noir, with the urban greenish cast of tungsten film. A sole figure leans slightly against a building, downcast, staring into his soul, and waiting out a lit cigarette when it was still hip to smoke. The guy is

Frank Sinatra

vocals
1915 - 1998

" data-original-title="" title="">Frank Sinatra and the album was In The Wee Small Hours. The year is 1955. It is difficult to believe that Chicago-based vocalist

Paul Marinaro

vocals

" data-original-title="" title="">Paul Marinaro has even been born, but clearly, Sinatra will make an impression on him. Who can blame him, or any other Italian-American male vocalist? Still, Sinatra never recorded "Remind Me," an older tune by

Jerome Kern

arranger
1895 - 1945

" data-original-title="" title="">Jerome Kern here, although the lyrics might lead you to believe otherwise. There are moments when Marinaro's phrasing somehow recalls Sinatra, but without the jaunty "I dare you" tone that Sinatra could easily summon up. Marinaro projects vulnerability, which Sinatra could do as well, even if it was, at some level, an elaborate charade deployed to accomplish some ulterior romantic objective..

The cover of Marinaro's "Not Quite Yet" takes one there as well. The singer, collar open, undone tie and a heavy five o'clock shadow, is spot lit, leaning on a piano (or a bar), looking into the middle distance, as if ruefully reciting the lyrics to "No One Ever Tells You" to himself. It is a wee small hours cover, sans cigarette, of course. Sinatra did record "No One Ever Tells You," although at briefer length and with considerably more irony. And with his inevitable secret weapon, a big band to die for. Marinaro's backing band is pretty good, but Sinatra never worked with anyone other than the best.

Make no mistake, this is not just another Sinatra wannabe, much less an imitator. Marinaro's choice of material is quite different, ranging from "Invitation" to David Bowie.

Nat King Cole

piano and vocals
1919 - 1965

" data-original-title="" title="">Nat King Cole is an obvious influence as well. Marinaro is quite a good singer. He has an attractive voice, but in his prime, Sinatra had a great one, not to mention the life experience to make any lyrics instantly credible, not to say, autobiographical. Reading Marinaro's biography, one knows he's had plenty of his own to handle including intimations of mortality. That may color what he covers, although why "Taking a Chance on Love" goes on for over seven minutes is a mystery. Marinaro does indeed favor marathon versions of tunes when a listener would prefer 2:53 and out. Still, "On A Wonderful Day Like Today" does not drag, and a better balance of up-tempo tunes may have made for a more interesting performance. Marinaro's arranger,

Mike Allemana

guitar
b.1969

" data-original-title="" title="">Mike Allemana may try to do a little too much, like the string accompaniment on "That's All." Yes, Nat Cole had strings, but they never got in the way, and

Gordon Jenkins

" data-original-title="" title="">Gordon Jenkins was no slouch.

A very good outing, but it will take some studied editing of his arrangements for Marinaro to make a great one. Not quite yet.

Learn more about our star rating system

Track Listing

Born to Be Blue; Someone To Light Up My Life; Make Me Rainbows; The Angels Have Gone; Remind Me; No One Ever Tells You; Invitation; The Island; Taking a Chance on Love; On A Wonderful Day Like Today; That's All; Searching; I Remember; No Plan.

Personnel

Paul Marinaro

vocals

John Tate

bass, acoustic

George Fludas

drums

Mike Allemana

guitar

Chris Madsen

saxophone, tenor

Greg Ward

saxophone

Marques Carroll

trumpet

Raphael Crawford

trombone

Rajiv Halim

clarinet

Jim Gailoretto

flute

Victoria Moreira

violin

Naomi Culp

violin

Amanda Grimm

viola

Hope DeCelle

cello

Alyssa Allgood

vocals

Sarah Marie Young

vocals

Album information

Title: Not Quite Yet | Year Released: 2022 | Record Label: 122 Myrtle Records

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Good Evening Cats - New Releases Fro...
< Previous

Alessandro Lanzoni Trio Featuring Fr...
Next >

Paul Marinaro Concerts

Oct 12 Sun

Paul Marinaro Quintet

Winter's Jazz Club
Chicago, IL

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.