HI ALL Synthzoners,
I want to tell you about a new member of one of my E Mail Lists, named Manny Catania, who lives in our San Francisco bay area and is also an Elvis Impersonator. I got to know him through his Cousin Alfred Borg in Australia, who is a major contributor of his recorded Keyboard songs to our Email Lists. Manny is originally from Malta and has been here since he was 6 years old.
Manny plays a Blues Guitar that will just drive you up the wall. His vocals IMHO are as good as Elvis and sometimes even better. He uses a keyboard for backing tracks, I forget which one now. He has played some shows around the country with 3 or 400 people in attendance. He is well liked by all that have seen and heard his work.
Click on the URL below and you will be on a website where Manny has 74 pages of songs, probably everyone you know, and a few videos. It will take you days to listen to them all. He even makes his own costumes for the shows he does.
You can go to singsnap.com by clicking on the URL below that will take you directly to Manny’s pages all 74 of them.
Be sure to click on the song title to play it. If you click in the box then they want to charge you for creating a song list, so don’t click in the box.
Let me know if you have any questions.
I am not including Manny’s E Mail address but you can write him through his SINGSNAP Web Page or through me. He likes to get email from all my list members and all of you too.
Please welcome Manny to our group of special people that are synthzoners.
I believe he will become one of our members very soon. http://www.singsnap.com/snap/watchandlis...xpiry=a886f2390
Best to all,
Bebop Bill

Hello, where is everybody?
No responses??
why is that??
thanks,
Bebop

bounce
Bb

Bill, you obviously like the guy. Maby the reason you have not gotten a response is, others think like me. Frankly, the guy has a pitch problem. and, in my mind, Elvis impersonators are the bottom of the entertainment barrel. He may be great live, but, considering his recordings, he's pretty bad, at least in my opinion.

Normally, if I don't have something good to say about something, I say nothing. You're our friend, and maby others felt the same way.

Hope you know I'm not trying to hurt your feelings.


Be well,


Russ

Actually, I just took the time to listen to some of the songs. Only on one two did I hear a pitch problem. Most were good.
However, it sounds like he's singing to karaoke tracks. He may be playing along with them. But definitely American Trilogy is a recorded background.
That's o.k. but I don't hear any arrangers.
DonM

Russ, you are a little harsh..

I don't think he is bad at all..
What you interpret as pitch problems, may be his inflections in his voice..

Any way..not a great way to welcome a possible newbie to SZ...

Sorry, Fran... Not to pile on (I'm trying not to kick little puppies around too much, these days!), but this guy is fronting his vocals, so it's tough to ignore...

He's probably a nice guy, may very well come here and get into the fray with us about arranger play, but essentially, this is an ARRANGER forum, not a singer's one. When he's got stuff that features his arranger playing, and not his vocals, that'll be the time to comment.

In the meantime, let's just acknowledge the pitch issue (but it's no worse than many here), but not dwell on it. Leave that for the SZ singer's forum (what? we haven't got one?!).

We look forward to Manny coming here and speaking up for himself, and talking about arranger use, etc.. In fact, it might have been better this way. I'm just not sure about the 'fanfare and introduction' method, it sets the bar a little high on a first outing. Bebop's a fan (or friend, at least), but this might have gone better if he had simply introduced himself. I'm sure that, at least HE wouldn't have used the words 'as good as Elvis and sometimes even better'

Sometimes our friends can be our worst enemy!

http://www.singsnap.com/snap/watchandlisten/play/bac3948b

Although I only listened to this song & few others.....I dont know what to think...but I would say an arranger is definitly not being used in anyway. Maybe if Manny can come aboard the SZ & tell us a bit about himself & his act we could learn more.

Anyway (one word, Fran-two words, Donny), this is why I usually don't comment on most posts of music unless they are really good. Probably should have kept my mouth shut.

R.

[This message has been edited by captain Russ (edited 09-16-2008).]

Nah, your comments actually got this thread moving; it sat stagnant for days. Though they might say it was harsh, nobody else has come out with anything particularly glowing to say about the guy, so...

Captain Rus

You have E-Mail

I liked that http://www.singsnap.com/snap/watchAndListen/play/b5a58235

I chose to see 50 songs per page and there are 15 pages in his site... counting some repeats, there are more than 500 songs in there. That IS something.

Like the others said, that's not an arranger behind his vocals...I didn't hear a lot of intonation problems and all in all I'd say he's doing pretty well given how short a time he's been singing and his age...



------------------
Bill in Dayton

Hello Russ and others out there, this is manny the one who's off pitch and not really an arranger per say. I play guitar and keyboard by ear and use them in some of my guitar playing songs and even singing background music. I sometimes play five or six different instrument sounds that i use my guitar, and guitar synthiziser, and with guitar synthizer to get all those sounds in s couple of my songs on singsnap, mostly guitar playing songs I'do use karaoke background music for all of my singsnap singing.

Didn't get back to you all earlier, cause bill's email got lost in the spam batch, and then just found it and am getting back to you all.

I'm not claiming to be anyone special, lets get that straight ok!. I'm me Manny a guy who loves to sing and play guitar, mostly music by ear. At my later part of life at 64, I'm trying to enjoy myself and like i said , make people happy. I love making people happy and have succeeded in doing so for the last five years of my being an entertainer. If you've really heard the King (Elvis) himself, you'd hear off pitches here and there! He's the king too?

Everyone is entitled to their own opinion and that's ok with me!

Just get one thing straight guy, and that is , I love what i do , and no one is going to take that away from me.

Manny

Manny Ive heard Elvis, but you shouldn't compare yourself to "THE KING" Elvis thats some pretty big shoes that NO ONE CAN WEAR! ..........but, I will welcome you to the SZ. No reason to get flustered there are all kinds of opinions & ideas on this forum a thick skin and open mind will make you have an enjoyable experience here for sure.

Have Fun

who can compare himself/herself to the king? no one and nor am i trying to do so.
manny

Manny I was refering to your own statement in the above post.

"If you've really heard the King (Elvis) himself, you'd hear off pitches here and there!" "He's the king too?"

Welcome Manny. Didn't mean to be hard. I'm a hard line jazzer and can't stand anything Elvis ever did. Always thought he was awful and a bad reflection of American music and culture.

But, most of my music heroes are or were relatively unknown and many starved or died broke from drugs and other bad things (pretty depressing, huh?).

That's my preference and certainly doesn't mean I'm not glad you're here. Like to see you stop by if you're ever in Kentucky. Just don't expect to hear any Elvis from me.


Russ

i do respect your choice of artists, and elvis is not loved by all, i was brought up with his music and later in life i found out i had a voice and used it, i was in his voice range and wanted to make use of it, and mostly as an entertainmentand joy, and like i said, to make people happy. money has never been a priority with me ,though a necessity unfortunately.

i love music and love to play keyboard by ear and love to improvise and use it in my music, infact i'm looking into the korg m-361 now and seriously contemplating in getting one.

thanks for the invite. if i ever did come, elvis wouldn't be mentioned for damn sure.
manny

i

How can anyone hate Elvis...His ballad stuff is top notch, and many of his upbeat stuff too...I an starting to worry about you Russ..

Top male singers (proven) to me are:

Dean Martin

Elvis Presley

Frank Sinatra

Eddy Arnold


In that order..

Well I love Elvis, especially the really early songs and the last ones. I enjoyed hearing Manny sing too. Only thing, I thought I was listening to a 20-something-year-old guy!
Manny is as old as I am, but not as old as Elvis would be.
Manny and I are both much more successful than Elvis because we are still alive. I never aspired to be a dead legend, and so far I've achieved that non-aspiration. Welcome aboard Manny!
DonM

Fran, this just shows how different some of us are. My list(partial-not necessarily in order):

* Joe Williams
* Billy Eckstine
* Mel Torme
* Oscar Brown, Jr.
* Nat Cole
* Chet Baker (the trumpet player).
* Lou Rawls
* Michael Franks
* Frank Sanatra
* Al Jureau
* Bobby McFerrin
* Somebody named UD, or something like that.
* Tony Bennett
* Don Mason (as good at his style as some of
the country giants-Eddie Arnold, Ray Price, etc.).
* Michael McDonald
* George Benson
* Kenny Rankin
* Billy Vera
* Rob Thomas
* Chris Rhea
* Gary Puckett
* Stevie Wonder

I like Dean Martin, but more as an entertainer than a vocalist. Elvis isn't even on my radar screen. Don't think he could hold a candle to any of the above.

To each, his/her own, I guess. If anyone hasn't heard some of these guys, Google them. You'll be surprised and pleased, I think.

Again, a lot of this, for me, at least, is the difference between the singer/musician and the singer/entertainer. In my mind, it's substance over fluff.

(Disclaimer) Russ Lay's opinion only-not meant to imply that these opinions are necessarily more spot on than any other expressed or implyed evaluations/rankings.

Whatever floats your boat.

Russ (obnoxious, hard-headed jazz dude) Lay.

Pardon for the intrusion...but what does this have to do with Manny's introduction to the SZ?....... see what you started Fran?

Russ, now it would be interesting to ask your number 12 and 14..rated singers..who they consider....my bet Dean and Elvis will be in their top 5..

And I'd respect but not agree with their opinions.

R.

I think this all started with BEBOP'S Elvis comparison. As I said, I am SURE (and have seen this when he started to post) that Manny doesn't compare himself to Elvis, any more than Donny does to Sinatra..!

It's over enthusiastic friends we have to look out for

Welcome Manny. Don't be put off by this free for all... On the whole, we are a decent bunch, and only kick puppies for sport when there's nothing better to do Making music is pretty much the focus of most of our lives, having fun doing it, and maybe making a buck or two... However, there are so many different ways of doing exactly the same thing (like skinning a cat! Do you start at the top or the bottom? ) it is seldom we all agree on anything.

Anything we can do to help you enjoy playing an arranger, improve your chops or technical aspects, feel free to ask. Anything of use that YOU have that we might not know, share it with us!

And me...? I like Elvis AND all the artists in Russ's list. Just because you like gourmet cuisine doesn't mean you can't adore a ballpark frank, too

MY list would have to start with the B's...

Bach
Brahms
Beethoven
Bruckner
Bartok etc..

But that doesn't mean I don't appreciate

Benson
Berlin
Beatles
Bob Marley, either!

Well said, Diki. My intention is certainly not to stir things up, offend or imply that I'm the only one who's right.

One of the last show's Elvis was to do in 77 (I think) was at Rupp Arena, here in Lexington. One of the managers at Rupp gave me tickets, which I wouldn't have used. No-one asked for refunds (not many, anyway), but, instead, kept the tickets as momentos. I gave mine to a dyed-in-the-wool Elvis fan after his death. She still has them, framed, of course, in a recreation room. I recall, she was extemely appreciative (thanks, Elvis).

Man, can't believe his death was over 30 years ago.

Russ (my, how time flys) Lay

First, I want to welcome manny to S-Z ... I listened to a number of his recordings ,,, nice work, and even if it's only for yourself, sing your heart out, man !!!

Secondly, count me as one of the people here who can listen to most any genre/artist in music ...
Fortunately, I was raised on all types of music from my grandfather's Italian opera stars to his playing Italian folk music on his accordion, to my mom's pop music (Crosby, Sinatra, Jerry Vale, etc), to her country music, to her Italian music - never knew what would be on the radio when I got home from school ...

While studying accordion we had an accordion orchestra that played the music of Beethoven, Tchaikovsky, Rossini, etc. ...

When we started a rock 'n' roll band in high school, Elvis became my 'idol' ...
But I also saw Maynard Ferguson at Madison Square Garden in NY when I was 16 yrs old - there isn't one person on Russ' list that I wouldn't pay to see - in fact, I've paid and seen a number of them and more in the jazz arena - many at the annual Newport Jazz festival here in RI ...

Like when I was a kid, I never know what I am going to listen to when I turn the stereo on ...

One of the things that makes this place great is the diversity of musical tastes, which is about as diverse as our selections of arrangers ...

t.

And that is actually Al Jarreau. Al is just an awesome singer. Listen to his "L Is For Lover" album if you haven't already. I ran into Al back in 1999 in a small restaurant in LA. Freddie Ravel was playing there ( an awesome keyboard player ) and he invited Al up for a couple of songs as Al was there celebrating his birthday and Freddie had been working as his musical director. Fantastic stuff. When I walked out of the restaurant later I ran into Al and stopped for a quick chat with him. A very nice guy and awesome singer.

And another great singer not on Russ's list but in the same class as Al Jarreau is Carl Anderson who sadly passed away a few years ago. Listen to Carl's "Pieces Of A Heart" album and you will understand what I mean.

I was at a NAMM show and Yamaha had Al J. , Tony Bennett & Tower of Power as guest performers.. That was a "wow" night !

Welcome to the SZ Manny... it's all good my friend.

morning to all! i want to thank you all for welcoming me to this wonderful informative site. i plan on getting as much information as possible. i am going to purchase the korg m-631 soon and am looking forward to familiarize myself with it. i like to lay tracks with different sounds. love funk, blues, pop. rock, classical, heck all sorts of music!

I love singing almost anything i can get my hands on. Not just elvis songs, but from blues, soul and even opera if i can do it .

as i've told you all, i play guitar and keyboard by ear and love to improvise in real time.

when i get more time, i want to start checking out all of the information on this site.

once again, tks for the welcoming.

manny

Nigel, Al's dad was the janitor at a Square D factory in Cedar Rapids Iowa. I used to travel there once a month to do photography for company publications. The dad told me about his son, who had performed at a club downtown before he moved. The dad said that Al would be at the club, which had also moved the next time I was up.

It was a Monday, during a terrible winter storm (late 70's) and besides the bartender (the owners wife), the owner (a drummer) and one "high mileage" stripper, I was the only guest. When Al arrived, we talked. He had just finished his first album. He had gone to svhool, earning a masters in social work, I think, in Cedar Rapids. After talking, he, the drummer and I played a set. There was a "high mileage" house-owned B-3 there.there were never more than 10- people in the room during the set.

Shortly thereafter, Al became the darling of the jazz world.

A real talent, and a gentleman who deserves the recognition and respect he gets.


Russ

What's a Korg M-631?

I think he meant a Korg Poly 61 m

[This message has been edited by Fran Carango (edited 09-19-2008).]

Elvis is not in my top 5. My top 2 are women!
Ella & Karen. Too many others to list now ... headed to the shore for my last 2 weeks of summer! ( I hate this drive, but LOVE the work! )

#12

Probably a Korg M-3 with 61 keys.

Hmmmm.... That's a weird choice for his style of music...

Tons of techno, but not exactly overloaded with oldies loops. Even a MotifXS might be more oldies orientated, but an S900 or E60 would be FAR more appropriate, I would have thought.

What made you decide on this, Manny?

And only Fran would come up with such an ancient keyboard as a likely candidate Looking for one to compliment your DX-7, Fran?

1st Welcome Me Manny!

UD ... Karen as in Carpenter .. I agree!! Fantastic!! I can't listen any more ... To depressing knowing she is gone forever!

The top of the list is Sinatra ... PERIOD!!!!! The man who defined what a pop vocalist is to this generation!!

Russ I agree with all your choices! Don't forget Jack Jones and Johnny Mathis!!

Manny,

Welcome to the Zone..
I have to go with Diki on this one..
I have an M-3 61 and I absolutely love it, but it would be way down on my list of tools for what appears to be your styles of music.

Lot's of great singers here listed for sure, but few that I have ever spent a lot of time listening to personally. Sinatra, Elvis, and some of the others mentioned of that era are recognized by many as all time greats, but they just don't do a lot for me personally.

My favorites are surely a nod toward the times I grew up in, as well as where . When I was growing up, the great debates of the day included.. Wakeman vs Emerson on keys, Clapton vs Page vs Beck vs the Jazz Fusion guys on guitar...( I was always kinda partial to Frank Zappa's playing and composing skills myself ). Always the never ending debates on who was the best.. but I learned long ago that there is no tangible way to EVER settle those arguments.. it depends on what the individual listener hears and feels, and everything is open to individual interpretation.


I was never big into the Folk scene personally, yet one of my all time favorites is Nick Drake, who got his start in the British folk scene with the likes of Fairport Convention, though I'll readily admit I did not know of him at all until long after his brief life had ended. His unique vocals and absolute mastery of the fingerpicking style on nylon guitar, along with the very raw, sparsely accompanied but brilliant recordings he made still keep me in awe to this day, some 30+ years after he is gone.

As I read back on what Russ wrote, as I go through the list of my favorites, I realize that many of my musical heroes had issues too, but they also conveyed a raw emotion in their music that immediately made me pay attention ( Drake, Roger "Syd" Barrett, Roger Waters, Jeff Buckley, Neil Young immediately come to mind ). I couldn't care less where some of them might rank in a list of all time favorites.


AJ

Sorry all, meant the Korg M-361 got my nos. backwards. manny

Nice demovideos, seems like a very nice instrument. But when the demonstrator says "Korg never disappoints when it comes to strings", I hear some of the worst strings ever. I know Korg has better ones.

As for the 'looks' of the thing: Korg needs a new designer team. If you ask me, the guy that designed this M3 used to work for the entry-level division at Casio.

------------------
- THE DUTCH KEYBOARD FORUM
http://www.keyboardforum.nl

Nice, reasoned post, AJ. Have the same opinion about most of the "folkies", but that's a personal opinion, nothing. Also agree about Jack Jones and Johnnie Mathis. Saw Mathis on a Public Television fundraiser a month ago, and at over 70, he's still touring and sounding fantastic.

Russ

it's the korg m-361 that i'm going to get. looking for a better price though. was checking it out at guitars center in san francisco, and played with it for an hour,man i liked it, ths sounds. l love playing blues, funk and jazz funk, blues funk, just love funk i guess. i will create some good stuff in my ears anyway and would love to share it wil you all. right now i have a fews guitar playing by ear songs i played, using a karaoke background, but also have a few that i arranged all background music, just gotta know how to expose it to you all . tks manny

Hold off on that M3 until you have at least TRIED an S900, PA500 or maybe an E60/50 (funk styles are good on those).

As a self taught player, I think you'll find the majority here would recommend an arranger over a workstation any day.

Sure, the M3 blows away any arranger at techno and hiphop, but you don't seem to come off as being much into that...

Minimal skills on an arranger will produce end results FAR superior to just about any WS, and their sounds and styles are geared FAR more towards your stated interests...

tks diki, i will look into them in details. i justlike layering track on track until i get the right sounds, and then just add a lead guitar or/and a voice and writing my own lyrics. tks again . manny

Hi, i will be using my korg m-361 for background music i will arrange and have done so before in my music, then either sing with it and/or play my guitar as a lead . this is an example of how i make up my own songs. i used a drum beat, the put in my bass using my guitar, rhythm, lead guitar , singing is me, and made up my own lyrics.
http://www.singsnap.com/snap/watchandlisten/play/bfedf559