In The News
Danny Bacher – Serious Fun
Last autumn, jazz singer and soprano sax player Danny Bacher released his second CD, Still Happy. That he is. Bacher is a purveyor of happiness, born under a lucky star. He’s a Renaissance man, a polymath of talent––a saxophonist, vocalist, composer, educator, actor, writer/playwright, and comedian––who’s a master of all trades and on a mission to spread joy. Now at that mid-life point where the road behind and the road ahead are more or less equal, he’s got a solid perspective of the elements of his life that have informed his “now” and the direction he’d like to travel in.
Marking a pinnacle in his career, Bacher also becomes the latest recipient of the American Songbook Association (ASA) Margaret Whiting Award, of which Bacher says, “It’s an honor to carry on the tradition and excellence one strives for, and that this music deserves.” The Whiting Award matches Bacher’s personal mission to encourage young people into the songbook and into jazz, by making it accessible to them. Of course, happiness is a prime ingredient in that accessibility.
Nominated for Best Male Vocalist 2019, 2020, 2021
Readers Poll
Terry Gibbs Legacy Band: The Terry Gibbs Songbook
Jazz needn’t be dark and brooding to be taken seriously. From Louis Armstrong and Fats Waller to Louis Jordan and Louis Prima, a fair amount of the jazz catalog was designed to put a smile on your mug and tap in your toe. Saxophonist and vocalist Danny Bacher subscribes to that model. In fact, he doubles down on his 2016 release Swing That Music – a tribute to the above-mentioned Louis – with an unapologetically joyful follow-up, Still Happy (Whaling City Sound). Bacher puts his engaging tenor vocals to a well-curated set of sunny standards – “Getting Some Fun Out of Life”, “Lucky To Be Me”, “Joy Spring” – pens a few of his own, and receives stellar backing from top-flight musicians including saxophonist Harry Allen and pianist Allen Farnham. Proving, as throughout, that a cheerful disposition isn’t necessarily anathema to good jazz, Bacher leads his band through a simmering rendition of the Arlen/oehler classic “Get Happy.” The singer doubles on soprano sax and splits solo space with Allen and trumpeter Charles Caranicas, while bassist Dean Johnson, drummer Alvester Garnett and percussionist Rolando Morales-Matos maintain an infectious Latin groove.
Tributes to the Louies – Armstrong, Prima and Jordan – are nothing new. For years, artists with a penchant for finger-popping have doffed a cap to one or more of them, and with good reason: They’re among the most significant music makers of the 20th century. Vocalist and soprano saxophonist Danny Bacher is the latest to tie together the Louis legacies on his invigorating new CD Swing That Music! (Whaling City Sound).
Bacher receives sterling support from a topnotch little big band featuring all-stars such as guitarist Howard Alden, cornetist Warren Vache, trombonist Pete McGuinness and bassist Ray Drummond. Song selections play like a dream jukebox, featuring a slate of tunes that connect jazz and blues to jump-swing and rock ‘n’ roll. Bacher’s tenor vocals provide a sturdy vehicle for the music, and he pulls plenty of fire from his sax, undoubtedly inspired by the musicians he honors – ace solosits all – as well as those on the session. Bacher shares the mic with the charming Cyrille Aimée for a medly that pairs “La Vie en Rose” with “A Kiss to Build a Dream On.” both romantic staples of the Armstrong repertoire. Aimée sings the former in her native French (a la Edith Piaf) as a prelude to Bacher’s supple croon on the latter. Pianist Jason Teborek, bassist Drummond and drummer Bill Goodwin are spot-on, and Vache honors Pops’ horn without imitating him.
Danny Bacher: Still Happy – Review of saxophonist/vocalist’s upbeat second album as a leader
The song titles alone on soprano saxophonist and vocalist Danny Bacher’s sophomore release provide a pre-listening hint of what to expect: They contain words like joy, fun, lucky, hooray, laughing, and—three separate times—happy. And just to make sure you’ve got the idea, the CD’s inner sleeve depicts the artist matching the grin on the smiley-face balloon he’s holding. Yes, there is also “Cloudy,” an update of the nearly century-old Bix Beiderbecke tune, paired in a medley with Django Reinhardt’s “Nuages,” but it’s the last tune on the album, so by then the exultant mood has long been set. No room for gloom here.
If that description suggests that Still Happy (itself a distillation of a Bacher original called “In Spite of All This, I’m Still Happy”) might be some kind of cloying, terminally gushy affair, no worries. The positivity within these smartly arranged and superbly executed performances is often more implied than overt; if the music gets a smile out of you too, consider that a bonus… READ MORE
“The secret of serious fun is not to take it too seriously, especially if it involves playing jazz. That attitude is something that the easygoing singer and saxophonist Danny Bacher, who appeared with a small swing band at the Metropolitan Room on Tuesday evening, knows in his bones.
It is about making hot music but staying cool, about cutting up while maintaining effortless self-control, about having a blast with friends. And at his performance of “Swing That Music,” a homage to the era of jumpin’ jive with a dollop of Dixieland, Mr. Bacher conflated the music of three Louises — Armstrong, Jordan and Prima — in a concert revealing him to be a prodigiously talented musical preservationist.
Mr. Bacher’s voice is smoother than Prima’s rasp, but in his bebop solos he revealed enough of his inner wild man to suggest a maniac behind the cool. “I Wanna Be Like You (The Monkey Song),” from “The Jungle Book,” in particular, made me grin. It was a reminder that behind its academic trappings, a prime element of jazz has always been a game of monkey see, monkey do.”
By STEPHEN HOLDEN
Events
SEE DANNY
LIVE
IN CONCERT
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2024 EVENTS
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JANUARY
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1st | MON
Port Washington, NY
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6th | SAT @ 12PM
Danny Bacher’s Swing Party!
Treasure Coast Jazz Society opening season concert in Vero Beach, FL | GET TICKETS -
8th | MON @7PM
The Danny Sextet
The Port Charlotte Jazz Society | GET TICKETS -
12th | FRI
Gleneagles Country Club
Delray Beach, FL | LEARN MORE -
23-31st |
Silversea’s Silver Shadow
From Hilo, Hawaii to Apia, Samoa -
FEBRUARY
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1-2nd |
Silversea’s Silver Shadow
From Hilo, Hawaii to Apia, Samoa -
9th | FRI
New York City, NY
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12th | MON
The Danny Bacher Sextet
Fort Meyers, FL -
14th | WED
Rye Brook, NY
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16th | FRI@9
The Villa Roma
Calicoon, NY -
23rd | FRI@9
The Villa Roma Calicoon, NY
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24th | SAT
Cedar Grove, NJ
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27th | TUE@7
The Pawleys Island Festival of Music and Art present
the Danny Bacher Quartet
at the Village House Event Center
13089 Ocean Hwy, Pawleys Island, SC 29585
For Tickets click here: https://pawleysmusic.com/festival-event/danny-bacher/ -
MARCH
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5th | TUE
On-Air Interview/ Guest Spot with Taylor Morgan
Legends Radio, West Palm Beach, FL -
19th | TUE@7:30
Live at Cafe Centro with The Danny Bacher Quartet
Cafe Centro, 2409 N Dixie Hwy, West Palm Beach, FL 33407
for tickets and reservations call: 561-514-4070 -
24th | SUN
Boca Raton, FL
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APRIL
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7th | SUN
NYC
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13th | SAT@12PM
APSS Program “Unsung Ellington” Featuring Danny Bacher and guests
Don’t Tell MaMa’s, NY, NY -
14th | SUN
Riverhead, NY
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15-16th | MON-TUE
Jazz Vocal Masterclasses with Clinician Danny Bacher
The Jazz Loft, Stony Brook, NY -
17th | WED
Weehawken, NJ
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22nd | FRI
The La Coquille Club
Manalapan, FL -
29th | MON@7
Theaterworks USA Benefit Concert
Honoring Tom Toce and Bobby & Kristen Anderson-Lopez
Feat: Danny Bacher, Roger Bart, Dewitt Fleming, Jr., Carole Bufford, Miguel Cervantes and Santino Fontana. -
MAY
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2nd | THR@9
The Villa Roma, Calicoon, NY
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4th | SAT
The Manhasset Bay Yacht Club
Port Washington, NY -
11th | SAT
Roslyn, NY
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12th | SUN
Rye Brook, NY
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16th | THR@7PM
“Let’s Go to Rio” A musical salute to Brazil
Starring Danny Bacher, Alexia Bomtempo and the Art Topilow Quartet | The Bell Theater, Holmdel, NJ
GET TICKETS -
24th | FRI@9PM
The Villa Roma
Calicoon, NY -
29th | WED
Briarcliff Manor
NY -
31st | FRI
Cipriani 25 Broadway, NYC
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JUNE
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7th | FRI@9PM
The Villa Roma
Calicoon, NY -
9th | SUN
Sea Isles, NJ
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12th | WED
Briarcliff Manor, NY
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12th | WED@7PM
NYC
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15th | SAT
Astoria, NY
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17th | MON@5:30
APSS Gala Honoring David Shire and Richard Maltby
Featuring: Danny Bacher, Michael Lavine, Sean Harkness, Anita Gillette, Austin Pendelton, Judy Kaye, Steve Ross, Sally Mayes and many more!
GET TICKETS -
18th | TUES@7
Rye Brook, NY
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20th | THR
Middlesex, NJ
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21st | FRI
The Bronx, NY
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23rd | SUN
Jersey City, NJ
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27th | THRS
Garen City, NY
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29th | SAT
Staten Island, NY
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30th | SUN
Morristown, NJ
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JULY
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4th | THRS
Port Jervis, NY
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5th | FRI
Wayne, NJ
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12th | FRI
Rye Brook, NY
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14th | SUN
Milford Jazz Festival
Concert with the Royal Bopsters, Milford, PA -
18th | THRS@8PM
Chez Vana, Rooftop Concert
Featuring Danny Bacher with the Vana Gierig Trio, NYC
CLICK HERE FOR TICKETS -
19th | FRI
Westbrook, Conn
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20th | SAT
Middletown, NY
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27th | SAT
James, NY
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AUGUST
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24th | SAT@6PM
The Plaza Hotel, NYC
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28th | WED@7PM
Pangea, NYC
w/ Roseanna Vitro | TICKETS & DETAILS -
30th | FRI
West Orange, NY
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SEPTEMBER
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1st | SUN
Woodbury, NY
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5th | THRS
Edison, NJ
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7th | SAT
Tarrytown, NY
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9th | MON
The Villa roma
Calicoon, NY -
11th | WED
Rye Brook, NY
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14th | SAT
Woodbury, NY
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20th | FRI
Somerset, NJ
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21st | SAT
Madison, NJ
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25th | WED
Briarcliff Manor, NY
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27th | SAT
The Villa roma
Calicoon, NY -
30th | MON@7:30PM
Benefit for Prostate Cancer
Guest Spot at the Triad Theater, NYC -
OCTOBER
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5th | SAT
Glen Cove, NY
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6th | SUN
New Milford, Conn
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7th | MON
Rye Brook, NY
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9th | WED@7:30PM
Concert with The Royal Bopsters
Pangea, NYC -
11th | FRI
Casa Belvedere
Gala Benefit, Staten Island, NY -
12th | SAT
Garden City, NY
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13th | SUN
Garfield, NJ
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16th | WED
Briarcliff Manor, NY
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17th | THR
Queens, NY
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18th | FRI
Jersey City, NJ
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19th | SAT
Cedar Grove, NJ
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20th | SUN@2-4PM
Library Concert at Port Washington Library
Port Washington, NY -
22nd | TUE
35th Annual Cabaret Convention presents, “Put on a Happy Face”
Honoring Composer Charles Strousse
Rose Hall, Jazz at Lincoln Center, NYC | TICKETS & INFORMATION -
26th | SAT
Marlboro, NJ
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NOVEMBER
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7-9th | THR-SAT
Rat Pack Show Starring Danny Bacher with Pete Caldero and Tom Manuel
with the Jazz Loft Big Band at the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY -
10th | SUN
Somerset, NJ
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11th | MON
Rye Brook, NY
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15th | FRI@7PM
A Celebration of Louis Jordan
Ft. Danny Bacher with Tom Manuel and the Jazz Loft Ensemble
The Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY -
20th | WED
Briarcliff Manor, NY
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21-23rd | THR-SAT
Rat Pack Show Starring Danny Bacher with Pete Caldero and Tom Manuel
with the Jazz Loft Big Band at the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY -
DECEMBER
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2nd | MON
Melville, NY
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12-14th | THR-SAT
“The Nutcracker” Annual Big Band Christmas concert Starring Danny Bacher
with Tom Manuel and the Jazz Loft Big Band
at the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY -
14th | SAT@2-4PM
The Danny Bacher Quartet Holiday Concert
Jersey City Public Library -
16th | MON@7PM
The Jazz Nativity
With the Royal Bopsters, NYC -
17th | TUE
Rye Brook, NY
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18th | WED
Briarcliff Manor, NY
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19-21st | THR-SAT
“The Nutcracker” Annual Big Band Christmas concert Starring Danny Bacher
with Tom Manuel and the Jazz Loft Big Band
at the Jazz Loft in Stony Brook, NY -
24th | TUE
Tenafly, NJ
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2025 EVENTS
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JANUARY
-
FEBRUARY
Listen
Hooray For Hollywood
Joie De Vive
Get Happy
La Vie En Rose/Kiss To Build a Dream On
(Featuring Cyrille Aimée and Warren Vaché)
I Wanna Be Like You
Early in the Mornin
Contact
Danny
Bacher
For Booking
JWP AGENCY
Steve Frumkin
330-405-9075
steve@jwpagency.com
Rick Costa
774-526-0397
rick@jwpagency.com
RADIO & PUBLICITY
Mixed Media
Ginny Shea
ginny@mixedmediapromo.com
401-942-8025
www.mixedmediapromo.com