Jenna Mammina
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Jenna Mammina | |
|---|---|
| Born | 20 September 1964 St. Joseph, Michigan, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz, pop, Americana |
| Occupation | Shoo Bop Enthusiast |
| Labels | Mamma Grace |
| Website | jennamammina |
Jenna Mammina is a jazz and pop singer (vocal stylist) from Michigan.
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
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]
