Jenna Mammina

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Jenna Mammina
Born (1964-09-20) 20 September 1964 (age 59)
St. Joseph, MI, U.S.
GenresJazz, pop, Americana
Occupation(s)Shoo Bop Enthusiast
LabelsMamma Grace
Websitejennamammina.com

Jenna Mammina is a jazz and pop singer (vocal stylist) from Michigan.

Biography[edit]

Mammina was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and began singing in church from the age of five and performing in school musicals.[1] In her teens, Mammina learned to play piano and guitar, performing with local bands.[1] She attended Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, and Laney College in Oakland, before settling in San Francisco.[1]

After session work with The Spinners and Narada Michael Walden,[2] Mammina has gone on to record five albums, all released on her own label, Mamma Grace.[1] Mammina, who performs as many as 250 times a year, has performed with Bobby McFerrin, Bobby Watson, Nancy King, Andy Narell, and Steve Coleman.[1] Derk Richardson, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, picked her debut album, Under the Influence, as number nine in his top albums of 1999.[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, presenting workshops titled "Scat for Cats" and "So You Want to Be a Rock and Roll Star'" in schools and universities.[1]

Musical style[edit]

Mammina combines 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 idol) to Elvis Costello, U2, and Tom Waits, as well as original compositions.[2][1][5] Her voice has been described as "sweet and flexible",[6] "whisper-like" with "air-brushed phrasings and silky nuance",[7] and less flatteringly, as "tiny, thinnish, high-pitched".[8]

Mammina 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[edit]

  • Under the Influence (Mamma Grace, 1999)
  • Just a Little Bit (Mamma Grace, 2000)
  • Meant to Be (Mamma Grace, 2002)
  • Art of the Duo with Andre Bush (2003)
  • Inner Smile (Mamma Grace, 2005)
  • Live at the Acorn Theater (Mamma Grace, 2007)
  • Yule Tunes (Mamma Grace, 2011)
  • The Music & the Magic of Ms. Abbey Lincoln (Mamma Grace, 2013)
  • Spark with Rolf Sturm (Water Street Music, 2015)
  • Begin to Dance with Rolf Sturm (Water Street Music, 2017)
  • Everyone I Love is Here Jenna and the Charmers (Mamma Grace, 2019)

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g Yanow, Scott "Jenna Mammina Biography", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
  2. ^ a b 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
  3. ^ Richardson, Derk (1999) "One Picky Critic's Top Albums of 1999", San Francisco Chronicle, 30 December 1999
  4. ^ Selvin, Joel (2003) "Cammies to be a free concert: Donnas lead music awards with eight", San Francisco Chronicle, 13 March 2003
  5. ^ 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
  6. ^ Tanow, Scott "Art of the Duo Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
  7. ^ Edelstein, Paula "Meant to Be Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
  8. ^ Nastos, Michael G. "Under the Influence Review", Allmusic, Macrovision Corporation
  9. ^ Gilbert, Andrew (19 December 2002). "Big Range Rider: Local fave Jenna Mammina returns to Carmel with her genre-hopping repertoire". Monterey County Weekly. Retrieved 2 November 2023.

External links[edit]