Standards With a Twist Cupping his hands around his microphone, his eyes half closed, Jerry Grillo sways to the rhythm of an inner reverie as he puts his singing on pause to allow his guitarist to take a solo. Live, Grillo is the consummate lounge singer, wrapping his voice around the meaning of every word of every standard he sings. But when speaking about his fifth full-length CD, Fever...And Other Symptoms, Grillo declares, "This is not lounge at all to me." The 12 tracks are all standards from the classic era of American pop music, the '30s through the '50s, unless they are more recent tunes in the style of a Brazilian samba, but most of them aren't performed in a standard way. "It's alternative. It's in your face. It's funky," he explains. When Grillo released his first CD in 1994 he colored strictly within the lines of his repertoire. A few years later, he edged the material into less explored areas. And then he pulled back a little, finding a comfortable balance between familiarity and strangeness. "It's taken me years to find out how far I can go without going too far," he says. On "Fever," Grillo incorporates lyrics from Sonny and Cher, the Doors and Gershwin to the song's elastic rhythm while guitarist Kirk Tatnall tears off a Hendrixy solo. Pianist Scott Currier threads a bluesy pattern through "Come Rain or Come Shine." The inherent funkiness of "Softly As In a Morning Sunrise" surfaces with help from guitarist Steve Peplin and drummer Randy Maio. Grillo also relaxes into a more intimate mood on three songs accompanied only by pianist Barry Velleman. "I'm putting my own stamp on these tunes," Grillo says. "I don't think artists can make it today without stamping their own heart and soul on the pieces. This is definitely who I am." Shepherd Express Dave Luhrssen June 21, 2001 Jerry Grillo has created a jazz vocal showcase for himself with such classics as "Softly As In A Morning Sunrise," Cole Porter's "Get Out Of Town," Jobim's "How Insensitive," Carmichael's "Georgia On My Mind" Davenport's "Fever," George Gershwin's "Summertime," Johnny Mercer/Barry Manilow's "When October Goes," Holiday's "God Bless This Child" among others in the outstanding CD release titled FEVER......AND OTHER SYMPTOMS. 12 selections.  Backed by various artists, including guest pianist Barry Velleman, this is an entertaining collection of jazz classics. It is a pleasure listening to the solo work by these artists. The rendition of the Mercer/Manilow song, "When October Goes," is a highly emotional and sensitive interpretation, and it reveals the complexity and range of Jerry Grillo's voice. The piano accompanying Grillo is played by Barry Velleman. A nice listening experience, this CD will find a home among jazz vocalist fans everywhere. Jerry Grillo at his best!  John Barrett Jr. Jazz Review July, 2001 Lonely A throwback to the days of cabaret, Grillo has earned comparisons to Frank Sinatra and Bobby Darin, and it's easy to hear why.  He has a rich, resonant voice and a good dose of swagger that commands listeners to pay attention.  On this single, he offers two versions of the title ballad.  The second version is slightly bluesier, and clocking in two minutes longer, it allows for some nice solo work by members of the Barry Velleman Quartet. Donna Kimura jazzreview.com am Jazz, Minneapple Records 2004

A close listen of Milwaukee jazz vocalist Jerry Grillo's new CD What's It All About? is akin to a perfect date in Manhattan. It's a crisp night, and you're holding hands. Seeking warmth and a big glass of red wine, you duck into a small, smoky club. A few couples whisper to each other, and there are a few single people up at the bar. The man at the piano begins, and then a voice begins to sing. But New York has plenty of that. Thankfully, Milwaukee is the city that gets Jerry Grillo. In his sixth and final CD for the amJazz label, which he created in 1994, Grillo pairs up with pianist Barry Velleman to sing classics of renewal and devotion. Velleman, Grillo's frequent collaborator and member of the Jerry Grillo Quartet, brings his own arrangements to the party. It's twinkling lights and ice cubes, carefully scored "I have always wanted to do a jazz piano/vocal recording with a great accompanist since I heard the Tony Bennet/Bill Evans albums many years ago," Grillo explains. He calls it "jazz with a dash of cabaret", which is a particularly apt description on his version of Cole Porter's "Night and Day." Grillo calls "Cry Me a River" the "perfect revenge song," and here he sings it with an almost drunken apathy, as if he is shrugging and flipping someone off, a smile on his face the whole time. And although it is a little early for holiday songs, the album's last track, "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas," is enough to get you in a eggnog sort of-mood. Extra whiskey, please.

-- The Press Jessica Zierten September, 2002

One thing is clear upon hearing Jerry Grillo's new CD, What's It All About: He admires good piano players. On Grillo's sixth full-length disc, the Milwaukee singer is accompanied exclusively by pianist Barry Velleman, who brings a high level of musicality to the proceedings. What's less apparent — although it makes perfect sense if you're listening for it — is that the 13 standards comprising the CD (but not the bonus track of "Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas") are sequenced to tell a story. Grillo imagines What's It All About as a cabaret show. All he needs is to show up in a club with the songs, plug in the mike, wheel in the piano and add a little between song banter. The outline for the act is already digitally inscribed on his new disc. "In my mind I already had the story. Then I picked the songs," Grillo says, explaining the choice of jazz era favorites such as Cole Porter's "What Is This Thing Called Love" and Rodgers and Hammerstein's “We Kiss in the Shadows," along with Burt Bacharach's "Alfie," John Lennon's "Love" and the Carpenters' "For All We Know. "It's about two people getting together, how love develops, how it comes to a point of stabilization and into a breakup. You don't know if the couple get back together or not, but they come to terms with their own lives," he says. In many respects, Grillo — who through his eight year recording career has fronted a big band, dabbled in cutting-edge jazz and toyed with ways of retooling the old music for a new generation — comes full circle with What's It All About. It's a collection of lovingly performed pop songs from the pre-rock era, plus a few newer, compatible tunes, arranged in a style similar to the classic jazz-vocal combos of the '50s. His next goal is to take his voice out of the bars and into the concert halls. "I'm looking for a quiet room where people pay to hear me. I think I've paid my dues. I think I'm ready for it," Grillo says.

--Dave Luhrssen Shepherd Express October, 2002

He s become Milwaukee's Ol' Blue Eyes. Approaching 10 years of singing in town, local lounge crooner Jerry Grillo, a fixture at Caroline's Jazz Club and Hi Hat Lounge, prepares to celebrate the release of his sixth album "What's It All About" with a show 3 p.m. Sunday at Wisconsin Conservatory of Music's Bader Recital Hall, 1584 N. Prospect Ave. The event is free and open to the general public. It will have Grillo performing as part of a duet with pianist Barry Velleman. Velleman, a Berkelee College of Music alumnus, performed with many well-known jazz singers and musicians on the east Coast in the late '60s and early '70s before moving to Milwaukee to teach at Marquette University. Grillo's five previous albums had him mainly performing in expanded combo or big-band situations. This time, the entire album sticks to a cabaret format with Velleman providing lone accompaniment to Grillo's voice. Sly content musical moments include Grillo's refiguring of Sinatra's Versions of "Learning the Blues" and "Night and Day" breezier, more upbeat strokes come on the Latin-tempo number "Who Are You Now?" from the musical "Funny Girl." Unusual moments include Grillo’s interpretation of John Lennon's "Love," a voice-and-piano-only ballad itself, from the late Beatles' 1970 solo debut album, "Plastic Ono Band.” “There's pretty much variety on this album, compared to the earlier ones, but I'm still always looking to expand my repertoire," Grillo says. “To me, those later pop and rock songs on this album are the stuff of standards; it's only recently that a song written after the '60s could be considered a jazz standard.”

--Nick Carter Milwaukee Journal Sentinel September, 2002

Jerry Grillo, Live At The Uptowner
Grillo is the star of the extended-play live recording. He sings seven songs backed only by guitarist Grassel and bassist McGirr. The same dynamics Grillo brought to big band singing are present on this small combo outing. On this club date, he has freedom to rearrange the melody line and deliver a more expressive statement..... the date takes on a swinging demeanor. Grillo is an entertainer who can get a crowd into the performance through his personality and delivery.

Cadence Jazz Magazine
March, 2000

"Grillo croons from gig to gig with a '40s, early '50s flare." Highlights of Grillo's career plus comments on his latest CD release and his rural beginnings in Hibbing, Minnesota, going to high school with Bob Dylan.

"He's routinely booked into venues as varied as The Uptowner, a popular boho dive in Riverwest that brings in live music, and Hi-Hat Lounge, the trendiest of nightspots along the rapidly gentrifying Brady Street strip."

Comments on The Uptowner CD, the Nick Contorno Orchestra release, and conductor Nick Contorno's career.

"In the past five years he's worked his way back and forth across the repertoire of the 30's and 40's, crooning the old songs, jazzing them up, deconstructing them and putting them back together again. The Contorno disc is already Grillo's fifth CD, and he shows no signs of stopping now."

Goody for You, his new release of jazz standards, and his captivating club appearances testify to the remarkable improvement Grillo has made as a vocalist and entertainer since 1994, when he released his first CD, "This Funny World," and began performing live.

"The secret is I finally found my own style," Grillo said. "It is very natural. I'm more spontaneous, more upbeat, not mellow or torchy, and my presentation is very audience-oriented.

"At the beginning, I thought I had to sound like someone else, but now I have my own way of singing these wonderful songs. I keep working on technique, just getting out there and improvising."

Indeed, Grillo is carving out his own identity with skilled improvisations, changing the phrasing and emphasizing different words as he expresses the lyrics. There are no formal arrangements.

"Every song is what I feel at that moment," Grillo said. "It is a wonderful experience to go out as a jazz performer because every evening is new, and it is a thrill to me to sing the song a different way each time."

As a performer, Grillo exudes the inner excitement he feels. With confidence and cabaret charm, he finds the right groove, taking each song in the direction he wants it to go. Often, he'll sing a slow ballad, such as "What a Difference a Day Made," and put a sunny spin on it.

"People go out to have a good time, and they want to swing. So I might do 'My Funny Valentine' with high energy and a blues sound, like Etta James would do it."

In 1997, Grillo retired after 30 years as a teacher with Milwaukee Public Schools, and now devotes full time to his singing. He credits his successful musical transformation to vocal lessons he took from Chicago songstress Jackie Allen and to frequent collaborations with guitarist Jack Grassel and pianist Barry Velleman.

"They really challenge me because we are constantly improvising and playing off each other," Grillo said. "Each night is a jam session."

Grassel and Grillo perform together as often as twice a week, and Grassel has encouraged Grillo to bring a high energy '90s approach to timeless tunes from the '30s, '40s and '50s.

"Jerry has an unusually high level of musicianship," Grassel said. "I can stop playing altogether and then come back in a few minutes later, and Jerry is still on the same pitch. Our music is greater than the sum of its parts.

"He has gone from being an average Milwaukee vocalist to being a world-class vocalist.

"If you look at what Jerry has accomplished in the last three years, just think where he'll be in the next three years."

Singer Jerry Grillo takes a more cautious approach with a dozen standards on "Mister Grillo," his second amJAZZ CD. Grillo has a mellow rather than adventurous approach to interpretation. He makes the most of "Take the A Train," "All or Nothing at All," "Angel Eyes", and "Sweet Georgia Brown." His accompanists, including pianist Barry Velleman, guitarist Jack Grassel and saxophonist Julie Wood, are uniformly terrific.
- Keith Spore, publisher of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, a longtime jazz listener and a former music critic for the Milwaukee Sentinel.

...In 1993, Grillo released his first CD, This Funny World. On it, he gave his former jazz teacher a thank-you by recording one of [Jackie] Allen's songs, "I'll Chase The Sun." The new Mister Grillo builds on the success of the first CD and includes an all-star Milwaukee lineup of pianist Barry Velleman, guitarist Jack Grassel, bassist Jeff Hamann, drummer Charles McFarlan and on one cut, saxophonist Julie Wood...

...the re-embodiment of '50s lounge cool for an era that has begun to rediscover the music he loved while growing up. Immaculate in a dark suit, dark shirt, and bolo tie, singer Jerry Grillo puts one foot on the piano bench on Cafe Phyllis' tiny stage, leans back against the handsome art noveau piano and, holding the tiny microphone between the cups of his hands, taps his fingers to the beat of "The Nearness Of You." Guitarist Jack Grassel states the melody and rhythm....It's music full of moonlight, starry skies, impossible dreams and the all-too-real emotional contradictions of adult life, that towering feeling of falling in love and the bitter aftertaste of its dissipation. It's an unlikely choice of music for someone who grew up in the bleak mining town of Hibbing, Minnesota, a schoolmate of Bob Dylan. Country didn't push Grillo's buttons, nor did rock 'n roll. Later on, when he went away to college in the '60s, Grillo listened to Tony Bennett while his roommates [buddies] grooved on the Beatles...