Jenna Mammina is a

jazz Jazz is a music genre that originated in the African-American communities of New Orleans, Louisiana in the late 19th and early 20th centuries, with its roots in blues and ragtime. Since the 1920s Jazz Age, it has been recognized as a major ...

and

pop Pop or POP may refer to: Arts, entertainment, and media Music * Pop music, a musical genre Artists * POP, a Japanese idol group now known as Gang Parade * Pop!, a UK pop group * Pop! featuring Angie Hart, an Australian band Albums * ''Pop'' (G ...

singer (vocal stylist) from Michigan.

Biography

Mammina was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and began singing in church from the age of five and performing in school musicals.Yanow, Scott " Jenna Mammina Biography, ''

Allmusic AllMusic (previously known as All Music Guide and AMG) is an American online music database. It catalogs more than three million album entries and 30 million tracks, as well as information on musicians and bands. Initiated in 1991, the databas ...

'', Macrovision Corporation In her teens, Mammina learned to play piano and guitar, performing with local bands. She attended

Central Michigan University Central Michigan University (CMU) is a public research university in Mount Pleasant, Michigan. Established in 1892 as the Central Michigan Normal School and Business Institute, the private normal school became a state institution and renamed Cen ...

Michigan State University Michigan State University (Michigan State, MSU) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in East Lansing, Michigan. It was founded in 1855 as the Agricultural College of the State of Michigan, the fi ...

, and Laney College in

Oakland Oakland is the largest city and the county seat of Alameda County, California, United States. A major West Coast port, Oakland is the largest city in the East Bay region of the San Francisco Bay Area, the third largest city overall in the Bay A ...

, before settling in

San Francisco San Francisco (; Spanish language, Spanish for "Francis of Assisi, Saint Francis"), officially the City and County of San Francisco, is the commercial, financial, and cultural center of Northern California. The city proper is the List of Ca ...

. After session work with The Spinners and

Narada Michael Walden Narada Michael Walden ( ; Michael Walden; born April 23, 1952) is an American musician, singer, songwriter and record producer. He acquired the nickname Narada from Sri Chinmoy. He began his career as a drummer, working primarily in the jazz ...

,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 The ''San Francisco Chronicle'' is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of Northern California. It was founded in 1865 as ''The Daily Dramatic Chronicle'' by teenage brothers Charles de Young and M. H. de Young, Michael H. de ...

'', 30 August 2001 Mammina has gone on to record five albums, all released on her own label, Mamma Grace. Mammina, who performs as many as 250 times a year, has performed with Bobby McFerrin, Bobby Watson, Nancy King, Andy Narell, and

Steve Coleman Steve Coleman (born September 20, 1956) is an American saxophonist, composer, bandleader and music theorist. In 2014, he was named a MacArthur Fellow. Early life Steve Coleman was born and grew up in South Side, Chicago. He started playing al ...

. Derk Robertson, writing for the ''

'', picked her debut album, ''Under the Influence'', as number nine in his top albums of 1999.Robertson, Derk (1999)
One Picky Critic's Top Albums of 1999
, ''

'', 30 December 1999 Her second album, ''Meant to Be'', was nominated for a

California Music Award California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

in the Outstanding Jazz Album category. Selvin, Joel (2003)
Cammies to be a free concert: Donnas lead music awards with eight
, ''

'', 13 March 2003 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.

Musical style

Mammina combines

folk music Folk music is a music genre that includes traditional folk music and the contemporary genre that evolved from the former during the 20th-century folk revival. Some types of folk music may be called world music. Traditional folk music has b ...

, 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 Declan Patrick MacManus Order of the British Empire, OBE (born 25 August 1954), known professionally as Elvis Costello, is an English singer-songwriter and record producer. He has won multiple awards in his career, including a Grammy Award in ...

, U2, and

Tom Waits Thomas Alan Waits (born December 7, 1949) is an American musician, composer, songwriter, and actor. His lyrics often focus on the underbelly of society and are delivered in his trademark deep, gravelly voice. He worked primarily in jazz during ...

, as well as original compositions.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
, ''

'', 6 September 2001 Her voice has been described as "sweet and flexible",Tanow, Scott " ''Art of the Duo'' Review, ''

'', Macrovision Corporation "whisper-like" with "air-brushed phrasings and silky nuance",Edelstein, Paula " ''Meant to Be'' Review, ''

'', Macrovision Corporation and less flatteringly, as "tiny, thinnish, high-pitched".Nastos, Michael G. " ''Under the Influence'' Review, ''

'', Macrovision Corporation 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 James Vernon Taylor (born March 12, 1948) is an American singer-songwriter and guitarist. A six-time Grammy Award winner, he was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2000. He is one of the best-selling music artists of all time, havi ...
tune, or a
Led Zeppelin Led Zeppelin were an English rock band formed in London in 1968. The group comprised vocalist Robert Plant, guitarist Jimmy Page, bassist/keyboardist John Paul Jones, and drummer John Bonham. With a heavy, guitar-driven sound, they are ci ...
tune, but I do it with my own flair."Gilbert, Andrew (2002)
Big Range Rider: Local fave Jenna Mammina returns to Carmel with her genre-hopping repertoire
, ''
Monterey County Weekly The ''Monterey County Weekly'' (sometimes called the "Weekly," formerly the ''Coast Weekly.'') is a locally owned and independent newsmedia company founded in 1988. As per the publication's name, it publishes in print weekly, and since 2020 onli ...
'', 19 December 2002

Discography

* ''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

External links

Official website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Mammina, Jenna American jazz singers Living people Blue Coast Records artists People from St. Joseph, Michigan Singers from Michigan 1964 births Central Michigan University alumni Michigan State University alumni Laney College