We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Johnny Jay. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Johnny below.
Johnny, looking forward to hearing all of your stories today. Can you talk to us about how you learned to do what you do?
I grew up in the Bronx in New York City. I moved around a decent amount as a teenager until I found myself in Saint Augustine. While I was in New York I had the privilege of being raised by two people very well versed in music who wanted me to explore my creative outlets, whether it was music or painting, I was in classes for it. I took fencing lessons but found myself drawn to take music in school. I grew up playing trumpet with the youth orchestra at Jazz at Lincoln Center in Manhattan during the weekends. I learned the beauty and power of the orchestra there. I then played in a number of other jazz bands, orchestras, marching band, and however many other groups. I was classically trained on the horn and trained for jazz. My mother was the main person who kept me practicing and involved in music. She played piano beautifully. I also have had the privilege of knowing Nicholas Mauro, Rick Jensen, and Marjorie Elliot, Nick was my private instructor on trumpet after Rick moved to Manhattan. Rick had been my instructor on trumpet, he mainly plays piano and he’s very good at it. Meanwhile, Nick plays some of the best trumpet you will ever hear. Marjorie runs Parlor Entertainment in Harlem, it’s her apartment that she opens up on the weekends to the public where people can hear a free jazz show which will genuinely change your life, I highly recommend going to Harlem for that alone. Marjorie is the embodiment of jazz and the Queen Godmother of the craft in my eyes and is an absolute wizard when it comes to piano. They had a huge influence on me growing up and still do to this day, setting a gold standard for what Jazz purely is. They allowed me as a kid to come in there and make mistakes and start to figure out what music can be. It’s not about big venues and being some world famous figure, it’s about delivering a good performance and expressing what is in your heart.
It was at Jazz at Lincoln Center on the old Louis Jordan number “Caldonia” where I first discovered the stage fright that comes with singing. I had heard the song so many times while practicing the trumpet part that I had learned the lyrics, our instructors at the academy decided that I could go out there and sing the tune. This was 2013-2014 when I would have been probably around 12 or so. I didn’t sing again until 2024. The in-between years were spent with the qualms and traumas of growing up which everyone must find their way through. I found myself a bartender in downtown Saint Augustine in 2024. While I was taking out the trash one night I heard the sound of Russ DeFilippis’ Burn Unit, a fantastic jazz band, coming from Casa De Vino 57 down the street. I wandered in and met Russ and asked him where I could go if I wanted to casually sing jazz once in a while. He pointed me in the direction of the Saint Augustine Jazz Society which has an open mic for jazz the last Sunday of every month at the Royal Saint Augustine Golf Clubhouse. I would then start singing there and torturing the audience since I had no idea of what I was really doing yet.
I have always admired the grace and charm of the performances of Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, Frank Sinatra, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett, Paul Anka, Elvis Presley, Wayne Newton, and Tom Jones, as well as countless other artists spanning however many genres I’ve listened to. Specifically the work of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, and Sammy Davis Jr. inspired me to start singing again in 2024. I have seen most of their individual performances that have been recorded, as well as their work together at The Sands Summit that happened in Las Vegas in 1960. The show at the Villa Venice was some of their best work. I love the movies they produced and the vinyl records of theirs that I have collected. However I didn’t bother trying to take vocal lessons or really take singing seriously until I saw Paul Anka live in concert down in Tampa a few months after I got started. I have a gold vinyl copy in a frame of My Way, which Mr. Anka wrote for Mr. Sinatra, I was lucky enough to meet him briefly and sign it. His performance had blown me away, the power he has and the love was on full display. When I met him and when I looked into his eyes it struck a serious cord. The music I loved and enjoyed doing as a hobby while I was bartending became more than just some kind of side activity. He brought it to life. I was not alive while this music I love was being produced. Paul Anka made it real, it was like being bitten by a radioactive spider or being shown light for the first time out of a cave. He was nice enough to sign the record and it now rests above my record player. Ever since that encounter, I found that I could not help but allow myself to be completely consumed by the craft. It’s not just lounge singing or entertaining. It was expression, it was showcasing emotion and inviting others to share in the sorrows and triumphs through songs and jokes. That was a life changing meeting and I am going to be grateful for his performance forever.
After that I finally took the idea of getting some vocal lessons seriously. Earl Presley, yes he’s The King’s cousin so leave him alone about it, saw me perform and decided that I obviously hadn’t a clue to what I was doing so he decided to start giving me lessons and showing me how to properly breathe and listen for cues and stylize. He retired a few months later to spend more time with family but I still remain good friends with him. Then my vocal lessons were entrusted to the immeasurably talented Tracey Maclean who has been instructing me and making sure my voice continues to develop correctly ever since. As my voice improved I found more confidence to get shows, primarily through the Nights of Lights Celebration in downtown Saint Augustine at different restaurants through 2024 and into 2025. I was using backing tracks for the longest time and I had begun to get sick of it. I grew up with orchestras and feeling the combined power of live musicians flow throughout the venue. I missed the feeling. I have been blessed, completely blessed, to have been introduced to my piano player CurtisKeeyz. Curtis is a fantastic musician who accompanies me and has a methodical brilliance in his approach to music. Curtis and I wear tuxedos and formal suits because whether you are the guy in the kitchen on smoke break stopping to see us play at their restaurant, the restaurant owner, or even a King, the audience must be respected equally and no one should be snubbed or given a sub-par show because of their station. Every member of humanity deserves to be treated with love and care and respect and should see a good performance that inspires and loves them. I would not be doing this at all if there was no love. My name is Johnny Jay and I am accompanied by CurtisKeeyz as we perform the immortal body of musical work of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and many others. And I enjoy every second of what I do. I want to continue the development and evolution of this music and continue providing a good show.
Johnny, love having you share your insights with us. Before we ask you more questions, maybe you can take a moment to introduce yourself to our readers who might have missed our earlier conversations?
I am Johnny Jay, a Saloon and Lounge Jazz Singer and trumpet player, I am accompanied by my piano player CurtisKeeyz. We play the music of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Bobby Darin, and many more. We are not a tribute show, we breathe new life into this music and providing a time to be remembered. We always appear dressed in formal suits or tuxedos out of equal respect and love to whoever finds themselves in our audience. We will play weddings, events, restaurant shows, theater performances, bars, bistros, cafes, anywhere that will have us. We normally have an opening act, depending on which of our wonderful friends in music is available to perform, for the first hour, then we play for two hours after. We seek to humbly provide a wonderful time. You can book us through our email [email protected] or through our Facebook our Instagram pages with Direct Messaging.
For you, what’s the most rewarding aspect of being a creative?
There isn’t a better job that I can imagine. Being able to go out and provide people with a great time, dressed impeccably. I don’t just play the hits with Curtis, I try to play the lesser known songs that people don’t hear as much but need to be heard. With Curtis I am able to remove people from their current time and bring them somewhere where they can forget about their troubles and breathe easier. Remind older folks of love they had and maybe lost or that they cherish still. Providing something different, a sound that many have forgotten but others still love. There is a feeling to what I do that is hard to describe. I try to call back to the glory days of Old Las Vegas, but I don’t seek to turn back the clock. This feeling of the old fashioned isn’t to try and cash grab on nostalgia and do a tribute. I have taken this vibe as my own, it is alive and well, it’s charming and it can be sad or it can be sweet or motivational, this music that I do is life itself. This music was the soundtrack to many people’s lives, it is a music that has a demand. It is beautiful and there is nothing I would rather do more. This is my effort to love people and share my heart and make them feel better. The most rewarding aspect is knowing when people have enjoyed themselves, knowing that I have done my job and made them laugh and cry and smile. The most rewarding aspect is to simply entertain those who are there in the audience.
What do you think is the goal or mission that drives your creative journey?
The goal that drives myself and Curtis is to provide entertainment. The goal is to eventually take the show to Las Vegas but not as a final goal. The goalpost will continue to keep moving because the music never stops moving. I would love to take the show on the road and showcase it to whoever will have it. I’d love to take the show to Japan and the rest of Asia and Europe and Africa and every corner in every part of the world. This music is needed. Jazz is needed. Jazz is how my soul expresses itself and where it finds it’s refuge. This is true to many people, many people can understand this. And if they will listen then I will play to them. I want to alleviate stress and provide charm and grace and love. The goal is to continue the evolution of this music and to eventually pass this torch on to the next fella as this torch has been passed to me. This music did not die with Frank Sinatra and Dean Martin, I don’t think this music will ever die, not with me and not with the next guy and not with whoever is after him. I am not the only old school style crooner at the moment, Seth MacFarlane just came out with a fantastic record called “Lush Life”, Michael Bublé has been doing this very successfully for a while, there is countless others. Kurt Decker, a friend of mine who performs Sinatra music at the Playwright Tavern off Broadway and all over New York, is a fantastic singer who also encouraged me to keep going. There are plenty of us that have taken the example of the greats, made it our own, and simply want to help people in our way. The goal is to help people.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @johnny_jay_lounge
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=61572308045594
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCnxqPHRSgccXPPMnKPl46BQ
- Other: [email protected]
Image Credits
John Carbone
Kai Lanier Photos