Occupation(s) Singer Role Singer Name Jenna Mammina | Labels Mamma Grace Instruments Vocals Genres Jazz, Pop music | |
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Origin St. Joseph, Michigan, U.S. Education Central Michigan University Albums Meant to Be, Under the Influence People also search for Fiona Joy Hawkins, Al Bates Nominations Independent Music Award for Best Song - Americana | ||
inner smile jenna mammina and brian gore
Jenna Mammina is a jazz/pop singer based in San Francisco since 1986.
Contents
- inner smile jenna mammina and brian gore
- Jenna mammina the more i see you
- Biography
- Musical style
- Discography
- References
Jenna mammina the more i see you
Biography
Mammina was born in St. Joseph, Michigan, and began singing in church from the age of five and performing in school musicals. In her teens, Mammina learned to play piano and guitar, performing with local bands. She attended Central Michigan University, Michigan State University, and Laney College in Oakland, before settling in San Francisco.
After session work with The Spinners and Narada Michael Walden, 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. Derk Robertson, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle, picked her debut album, Under the Influence, as number nine in his top albums of 1999. Her second album, Meant to Be, was nominated for a California Music Award in the Outstanding Jazz Album' category.
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, 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. Her voice has been described as "sweet and flexible", "whisper-like" with "air-brushed phrasings and silky nuance", and less flatteringly, as "tiny, thinnish, high-pitched".
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."