JOHNNIE VALENTINO Born in 1957 in a South Philadelphia neighborhood filled with a history of jazz guitarists that starts with 1920's legend Eddie Lang continuing through to today's jazz guitar legend Pat Martino. Johnnie studied privately as a young man with Dennis Sandole, Joe Sgro and Pat Martino. Also during that time he studied composition at Rutgers University while doing local club dates and recording sessions at Alpha recording studio for Philly World Records. In 1984 Johnnie relocated to Los Angeles where he has been musically active in many facets such as writing,,recording, scoring, performing and sound designing for TV, films, toys and recordings. During these years he has recorded with some of today's leading contemporary improvisers including Alex Acuna, Oscar Brashear, Delmar Brown, Luis Conte, Billy Drewes, Kermit Driscoll, Mark Ferber, Sherman Ferguson, Erik Friedlander, Vinny Golia, Gerry Hemingway, Alphonso Johnson, Russ Johnson, Andy Lester, Pat Martino, Bennie Maupin, Darek Oles, Mike Pedicin, Alan Pasqua, Mick Rossi, Mike Sarin, Bob Sheppard, Wadada Leo Smith, and Trevor Ware At the 2000 International Monitor Awards in LA he was awarded the Best Sound Design Award. in 2001 his "Searching Souls" CD is released on Ninewinds label #NWCD0233. In 2004 "8 Shorts in Search of David Lynch" CD is released on Omnitone and in 2007 "Stingy Brim" CD is released on Omnitone and is considered for 2 Grammys . Other earlier recordings "Free Exchange" & Goin' Public" are on Four Winds Entertainment recording label FW2002 & FW2005. HIGHLIGHTS
OF MUSIC WORKS ELISSA LALA If one had to describe the jazz vocal style of Elissa Lala in just three words, they would be passionate, evocative and distinctive. The daughter of a professional trombonist, Elissa Lala grew up in Philadelphia and began singing professionally at the age of five. By the time she was in her early teens, Elissa was doing background vocal sessions at Philly’s then explosive Sigma Sound Studios. Although heavily influenced by R&B, she’d be quietly singing Michel Legrand’s “You Must Believe in Spring” while walking the Philly streets to that all girl Italian high school. Cleo Laine’s rendition of the ballad hit her hard. And as if this wasn’t different enough, Elissa struggled privately with a hearing impairment that she became quite good at hiding during a very non pro-active parental generation. The impairment miraculously never affected her pitch, yet would she be able to hear that piano intro if the piano was positioned across the room during those television tapings? It always seemed to all work out. Falling in love with jazz guitarist John Valentino made the jazz thing stick all the more. They performed together at every major venue on the east coast, eventually getting married and moving to Los Angeles. Not long after moving to LA, Elissa was invited up to sing at a popular Burbank studios jazz club, where Aaron Spellings’ music supervisor heard her and was moved. He hired her to sing “All the Things You Are” for the ABC miniseries “Crossings”, and Elissa’s voice was heard throughout the world. Thus began more film and TV studio work with credits such as “Dirty Dancin’”, The World’s Greatest Magic Show”, “The True Story of Bonnie and Clyde” and a host of A&E documentaries. A severe bout with tinnitus led to more hearing loss that is now treated with the use of digital hearing instruments and really dramatically changed Elissa’s life for the better in many ways. Elissa became so interested in learning about hearing loss that Elissa became trained in hearing instrument fitting. She has help hundreds of hearing-impaired children and adults hear better through the use of digital hearing instruments. Another one of Elissa’s passions is writing lyrics for pieces such as Ralph Towner’s “I Knew It Was You”. Elissa has written and/or recorded with Blue Note recording artist Pat Martino, Narada Michael Walden, Michel Legrand, Alex Acuna, Tommy Tedesco, and Bennie Maupin. Her approach to improvisation is fresh, moving, and very in the moment, whether documented on CD, or live. So much so, that at her last performance at the Los Angeles Museum of Art, individual listeners were moved to their feet intermittently throughout the night. Elissa’s newest project will be release early summer ’05 on OmniTone Records, entitled “Touch Of Your Voice - New Takes on Chet Baker”. “Touch.... is a deep and melancholic project which consists mostly of beautiful ballads that were recorded by Chet Baker and two originals composed by John Valentino and Elissa. Frank Tafuri of OmniTone Records said it simply enough: “I thought there were no authentic jazz vocalists left, until I heard Elissa.” Previous releases are entitled “Eternal Now” (Insight) and “Promises of the Heart” (Four Winds). www.elissalala.com elissa@elissalala.com |