Gregory Generet

Meet New Yorkers who call Harlem home Gotta keep its soulName:...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 19:54:00 -0400

Meet New Yorkers who call Harlem home

Gotta keep its soul
Name: Gregory Generet
Lives: Hamilton Terrace
Occupation: Jazz singer, president of Hamilton Terrace Block Association
About: Generet has lived on Hamilton Terrace for 17 years.
“After we moved in, the prices for houses here just sort of shot up astronomically. Everyone was riding on somewhat of a high. A lot of people on the block moved on because they could get more for their house and move and retire to the South, where they could get much more for their money. When we bought this house, you couldn’t get insurance. Now suddenly, I have Corcoran, Prudential Elliman, Halstead, all those people clamoring to buy my house or sell my house for me.

“Starbucks had opened a store on Broadway and 138th hoping to get a lot of student clientele, and there were rarely more than five to 10 people in the place at the time. It was probably the lowest-grossing store in the city, and they couldn’t figure out why. You’re right in the middle of a Dominican and Puerto Rican area. You can’t swing a dead cat in either direction without finding a place that has a $1.50 cafe leche. It’s not the kind of community that would be able to handle a $4 cup of coffee. So we have that type of dance going on.

“Harlem is a very special place, it always has been, with its history, music, with culture. Now it’s been sort of encroached upon so people can rediscover that there are larger apartments and bigger houses. I don’t want to see Harlem lose its soul. I would really like to see people work within the community.”

Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/life-style/real-estate/meet-new-yorkers-call-harlem-home-gallery-1.1043249?pmSlide=2#ixzz23ZG5LsO4

Gregory Generet supports God’s Love We Deliver - 10/26/11...

Tue, 14 Aug 2012 19:09:00 -0400

Gregory Generet supports God’s Love We Deliver - 10/26/11 Credit: New York Social Diary

(re) Generet-ion by Gregory Generet

Tue, 15 May 2012 00:46:00 -0400

(re) Generet-ion by Gregory Generet

Gregory Generet charms the crowd at Bar Thalia and talks with...

Mon, 14 May 2012 23:11:10 -0400

Gregory Generet charms the crowd at Bar Thalia and talks with Symphony Space Artistic Director Laura Kaminsky. Generet will perform with Tamara Tunie in Wall to Wall Gertrude’s Paris: symphonyspace.org/paris

Once You’ve Been In Love - Gregory Generet, from (re)...

Sun, 13 May 2012 00:28:00 -0400

Once You’ve Been In Love - Gregory Generet, from (re) Generet-ion.

Gregory Generet

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:12:15 -0400

Gregory Generet

A Marvelous Night

Thu, 10 May 2012 17:08:00 -0400

CABARET SCENES

Gregory Generet

Metropolitan Room
New York, NY

Thereʼs little sexier than virtuoso talent suited-up like gentlemen, erupting into sumptuous, sensual, gut-wrenching jazz. Charismatic Gregory Generet and his band make the kind of joyful noise that soars. Every artist on stage is a source of power, invention and juice.

Generetʼs husky croon slip-slides though octaves in “Embraceable You” (George & Ira Gershwin). Stage-whispered scat gets under oneʼs skin and tickles. Piano accompaniment (Mike Renzi) is delicately beautiful. Later in the set, Renzi excels at hard-charging, up-tempo interpretation. “Get It Straight” (Thelonius Monk/Sally Swisher based on Monkʼs instrumental “Straight, No Chaser” features Gerald Cannonʼs impeccably finessed bass. The song is mellow and oh so cool.

“Remember when 42nd Street wasnʼt Disneyland?” A brief, poetic (not rosy) description prefaces the bandʼs dark, suggestive rendition of Cole Porterʼs “Love for Sale.” Generetʼs superb phrasing and lustrous baritone are perfect foil for the haunting, back alley saxophone of Mark Gross. The singerʼs laugh and gesture after the word “appetizing” seem satanic. Choruses bounce off the rafters. “How ʻbout you?” he invites a female member of the audience, reeling her in.

“Moondance” (Van Morrison) begins a cappella. The arrangement is borne aloft on unexpected, musical crosscurrents, including nuanced percussion from the extraordinary Willie Jones, III, who appears serene while his hands fly across drums with the speed and grace of beefed-up hummingbirds. The vocalistʼs hypnotic voice is in command.

One two, ONE, TWO, THREE: Blam! Itʼs a deeply funky, down and dirty “(Iʼm Your) Hoochie Coochie Man” (Willie Dixon). Generet howls, growls, dips and executes insinuating, though never vulgar, grind as the band detonates the ineffable tune. Itʼs a full frontal knockout, infectiously entertaining.

Patter is kept to a minimum. Solos are given reign. Unconditional commitment and balance of skill create an authenticity that is a privilege to experience.

Blazing Tongues: Johnny Hartman and Ralph Ellison (performed by Gregory Generet and Directed by Tamara Tunie)

Thu, 10 May 2012 15:50:32 -0400

Join the Harlem Stage and Lenox Lounge in two special evenings celebrating the great singers and writers of the past with present pioneers.

**Friday, May 11 at 7pm
Lenox Lounge Zebra Room:

… Harlem’s own Gregory Generet interprets the cool baritone of Johnny Hartman. A Harlem institution since 1939, Lenox Lounge served as the backdrop for many jazz legends including Billie Holiday, Miles Davis and John Coltrane.

Directed by Tamara Tunie.

Tickets for this events will be sold at The Lenox Lounge the day of the event. Tickets are $10 plus a $16 drink minimum.

"My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my..."

Sun, 06 May 2012 11:51:55 -0400

““My future starts when I wake up every morning. Every day I find something creative to do with my life.””

- Miles Davis (via lorenzodiggins)

Miles Davis - my first connection to jazz.

Sun, 06 May 2012 11:47:23 -0400

Miles Davis - my first connection to jazz.

Moon Dance from (re) Generet-ion by Gregory Generet. Song by Van...

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:29:00 -0400

Moon Dance from (re) Generet-ion by Gregory Generet. Song by Van Morrison.

"“For anyone who is a singer, the ultimate goal is to be able to stand before people and be the..."

Sun, 06 May 2012 00:20:11 -0400

“

“For anyone who is a singer, the ultimate goal is to be able to stand before people and be the storyteller of each song. It’s not an easy thing to do. You can get so wrapped into the music, the beats or rhythms or even your own voice, that you lose the story.”

-Gregory Generet

”

- http://gregorygeneret.com/biography.html

"A Voice That’s So Sultry You Might Get Burned" - NY Times Review

Sat, 05 May 2012 23:50:00 -0400

"A Voice That’s So Sultry You Might Get Burned" - NY Times Review:

By STEPHEN HOLDEN

Published: March 30, 2012

Gregory Generet has a voice so strong and forceful that it seems to erupt from deep within. As he performed at the Metropolitan Room on Wednesday evening, several inner storytellers jostled to be heard in a show made up equally of jazz, soul and blues. In his more volcanic performances, your impulse was to run for cover.

Mr. Generet’s show, “A Marvelous Night,” takes its title from Van Morrison’s “Moondance,” a song he stamped with an intense erotic heat. But the number that really stunned was a rendition of Cole Porter’s “Love for Sale” in which he played the role of a sidewalk pimp importuning pedestrians near Times Square.

“Do you remember when 42nd Street wasn’t Disneyland?” Mr. Generet asked, by way of introduction. “I remember it too.”

Do you remember when 42nd Street wasn’t Disneyland?” Mr. Generet asked, by way of introduction. “I remember it too.”

“Love for Sale,” which Porter often called his favorite song, has been associated mostly with women since it was introduced by Kathryn Crawford and a trio called the Three Girl Friends in the 1930 show “The New Yorkers.” But when sung by a man hawking “appetizing young love,” it becomes far more pointed. And as Mr. Generet barked it, wearing a leer while beckoning audience members, it sounded dangerous, especially at the end when he crowed the title phrase like a barnyard rooster proclaiming his supremacy.

Another side of Mr. Generet is a crooner in the tradition of Billy Eckstine, Al Hibbler and Johnny Hartman. When he sang a slow, seductive “Embraceable You,” he poured out warm, dark honey. But could you trust this sweet-talking lover man? Not really.

Backing Mr. Generet was a strong quartet led by Mike Renzi, whose pianism is rich enough to evoke the colors of an entire Nelson Riddle orchestration. Rounding out the ensemble were Willie Jones III on drums, Gerald Cannon on bass and Mark Gross, whose slippery saxophone solos raised the temperature an extra degree or two.

In his encore, Willie Dixon’s “I’m Your Hoochie Coochie Man,” Mr. Generet abandoned suavity to unleash a raw blues growl as feral as that of Muddy Waters, who popularized this swaggering virile boast.

Always there was a seam of humor, as though Mr. Generet was amused by his studly alter ego. Whether the tone was caressing or menacing, his self-awareness only added to the show’s depth.

Gregory Generet at Feinstein’s at the Loew’s Regency

Sat, 05 May 2012 23:40:00 -0400

Gregory Generet at Feinstein’s at the Loew’s Regency