Jay Daniels Music

What the audience sees is one person at the keyboard, singing and playing live, with no backing tracks and no other musicians. I draw on the Great American Songbook, Broadway, soft jazz, swing, bossa nova, folk, Motown, and classic rock, and I build every show as a narrative concert rather than a straight set of songs. I talk between numbers about where the music came from and what was happening in the world when it was recorded, and on the songs everyone knows, I invite the room to sing along. People leave having taken part in something, not just having watched it.

A standard set runs one hour with no intermission, which is the length most of my clients want. Longer and shorter formats can be arranged.

EVERY PROGRAM HAS A THEME

I do not play a generic lounge set. Each performance is a built program with a subject, and clients choose the one that fits the occasion. My 2027 season is twelve programs marking the 60th anniversary of 1967, one for each month:

Piano Men: Chapter Two, the music of Billy Joel and Elton John, including “Only the Good Die Young,” “I’m Still Standing,” “Candle in the Wind,” and “She’s Always a Woman.”

The Look of Love: Love Songs from 1967, from the cool sophistication of Bacharach and David to Sinatra’s bossa nova period.

Quiet Nights: The Sinatra-Jobim Sessions, a warm tribute to the collaboration that gave us “The Girl from Ipanema,” “Dindi,” and “Meditation.”

Ain’t No Mountain High Enough: Motown Hits of 1967, with “I Was Made to Love Her,” “Bernadette,” and “I Second That Emotion.”

All Creatures Great and Groovy, pop favorites inspired by The Monkees, The Byrds, The Animals, and The Turtles.

Come to the Cabaret!, songs from Cabaret, The Graduate, Hair, and Casino Royale.

The Summer of Love: Peace, Protest, and Poets, with Dionne Warwick’s elegance, the Association’s sunshine harmonies, and the sophisticated pop of the 5th Dimension.

Lean on Me: The Soulful Sounds of Jay Daniels, featuring Bill Withers, Al Green, and Otis Redding.

The Storytellers: Folk Classics Reimagined, with songs associated with Bob Dylan, Joan Baez, Simon and Garfunkel, and Joni Mitchell.

The Autumn of 1967: Winds of Change, including “Both Sides, Now,” “Maybe This Time,” and “For Once in My Life.”

Here, There and Everywhere, a journey through Revolver, Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, and Magical Mystery Tour, from “Eleanor Rigby” and “Penny Lane” to “All You Need Is Love” and “Yellow Submarine.”

A Jolly Christmas from Jay Daniels, seasonal favorites in the style of Sinatra’s Capitol-era holiday album, including “The Christmas Waltz” and “Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.”

I also offer a holiday sing-along built for audience participation, with lyrics provided on screen or on paper, and I keep a catalog of programs from previous seasons. If you have a theme, an era, an anniversary, or a honoree in mind, I am glad to build a set around it.

WHAT YOU GET WHEN YOU HIRE ME

A performer who arrives ready and handles the entire thing himself.

If you have a piano or a house sound system you would rather I use, I am glad to. If you do not, I bring my own keyboard, sound system, and microphone, so no equipment and no sound technician are needed from you. All I need is a standard electrical outlet near the performance area and seating that faces it. I set up and break down without staff assistance and I ask for about thirty minutes on each end.

I arrive early, I start on time, and I finish on time. Nothing is sold from the stage, no business is promoted from it, and no part of the program requires anything of your guests beyond showing up. Every program is clean and appropriate for all ages.

For your own promotion I provide flier art, high-resolution publicity photos, a biography, and a written program description at no additional charge, so your marketing people have finished materials rather than a blank page.

MY BACKGROUND

For nearly thirty years I have worked as a solo pianist and vocalist. I currently present close to thirty concerts a month at public libraries and senior communities across the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, and Southern Ontario, Canada. I have played rooms of twenty-five and rooms of two hundred fifty, and I adjust the performance to the space rather than asking the space to adjust to me.

I received much of my musical training at Shenandoah University under Michael Forest, the acclaimed tenor who spent nearly thirty years at the Metropolitan Opera. Until 2022 I hosted Simply Timeless, a nationally syndicated jazz radio program heard on nearly twenty stations.

WHO THIS IS FOR

This works well for audiences who grew up with these songs and for anyone who enjoys live music with some history behind it. Libraries, senior and retirement communities, clubs and associations, historical societies, museums, community centers, and private gatherings have all been good fits. If you are planning something and are not sure which program suits it, tell me about the event and the crowd and I will recommend one.

For nearly 30 years, pianist and vocalist Jay Daniels has been sharing the gift of timeless music with audiences throughout the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. A native of Louisa County, Virginia, Jay now resides in Maplewood, New Jersey, just outside of New York City. Before moving to the Northeast, Jay received some of his musical training at Shenandoah University under the direction of Michael Forest, an acclaimed tenor who spent nearly 30 years at the Metropolitan Opera House. He is proud to also collaborate with a fellow New Jersey vocalist, Sarah Partridge. Music is a full-time profession for Jay as he brings his solo piano and vocal concerts to libraries, senior communities, and other venues in the area - with nearly 30 concerts each month. Previously, Jay was also the host for the nationally syndicated jazz radio program, Simply Timeless, heard on nearly 20 stations across the country until 2022."

SOUND

If you have a house sound system, I am glad to use it, and I will work with your technician. I need one vocal microphone and a single line input for my keyboard.

If you do not have house sound, I bring my own system: keyboard, powered speakers, microphone, stand, and all cabling. No sound technician and no rented equipment are required. I run my own mix from the keyboard.

INSTRUMENT

A piano is always my first preference. If you have an acoustic or digital piano in the room, I would rather play it, and I ask only that an acoustic piano be in reasonable tune. If there is no piano available, I bring a full-size weighted keyboard on a stand, so nothing is required from you.

POWER

One standard electrical outlet near the performance area. I supply my own power strip and extension cords.

STAGE AND SPACE

A stage is helpful but not required, and I perform on a flat floor regularly. I need a performance area large enough for a keyboard, a bench, a microphone stand, and two speakers. Seating should face the performance area, row style, so that the audience is looking at the performer rather than at each other.

LIGHTING

No special lighting, no followspot, and no lighting technician are required. Normal room lighting is fine, with enough light at the keyboard for me to read music and for the audience to see me. If you have stage lighting and want to use it, I am happy to work with whatever you have.

SETUP AND STRIKE

I set up and break down myself without staff assistance. I ask for about thirty minutes before the performance and about thirty minutes after. I generally arrive an hour before start time.

LOAD-IN

Access to a door reasonably close to the performance area, and somewhere to park during load-in and the performance. I use a cart and handle my own equipment. If the room is up a flight of stairs or down a long corridor, it is helpful to know in advance.

PERFORMANCE FORMAT

One hour, no intermission, performed solo. No backing tracks, no accompanying musicians, and no other personnel to coordinate. For sing-along programs, lyrics can be provided either on screen through your projector or on printed sheets that I supply.

OUTDOOR EVENTS

Outdoors is possible with cover over the performance area to protect the instrument and sound equipment, a power source, and a rain plan. Direct sun on the keyboard and extreme heat or cold are the limiting factors.

RECORDING AND BROADCAST

Please let me know in advance if the performance will be filmed, livestreamed, or recorded, as licensing for the songs performed is arranged by the venue.

TRAVEL AND BOOKING

I am based in northern New Jersey and travel throughout the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic, Southeast, Midwest, and Southern Ontario, Canada. My quoted fee is inclusive of equipment, setup, and travel, so there are no separate line items added after the fact. Flier art, publicity photos, a biography, and a written program description are provided at no charge for your promotion.