New York, NY (Top40 Charts) Bob
Mundy is a Native New Yorker, born in Queens and raised on Long Island. He's a self-trained singer who has been at it since day one. "I was the kind of kid who could imitate anything I heard and I heard it all from classical to Top 40, but I really loved good singing. I remember when I would go to my Grandparent's house on Sundays, My Aunt would have her music on in the back of the house and I would sit on the floor outside her room and listen to Johnny Mathis,
Andy Williams & Streisand to name a few. I've always joked that
Barbara Streisand taught me how to sing!"
Bob started studying piano at the age of 5 and wound up going all the way through music school, earning a BA in Piano Performance and a BS in
Music Therapy from the
State University of New York at Fredonia. "I never thought I'd become a professional singer because I got pigeon holed as a pianist but in my mid-twenties I was playing piano for a variety show and was asked to step away from the piano and sing one number. That was all it took and I haven't looked back since!" Bob is also an accomplished Actor, a member of Actors Equity and SAG-AFTRA and has appeared in many theatrical TV & Film productions. Favorite roles have included Party Of One (San Francisco's longest running original review at the time), Donny the Bandleader in Tony & Tina's Wedding (San Francisco & Off-Broadway in NYC), Possibilities (Bob's 1st One Man Show in NYC OffOff Broadway) to name a few. On TV Bob's been seen in Guilty or Innocent for The Discovery Channel, a short term Principle Role on Passions for NBC (Bob was killed in an Earthquake/Tsunami and then ran in flashbacks for 2 years…only in the Soaps!), The Bold & The Beautiful for CBS, Bones, Privileged and numerous commercials and print ads. Bob has several feature film roles lined up to shoot over the next few years and hopes that everything works out with the financing so they can come to a theater near you. As for recording Jazz records, "I have been a Jazz freak since the first time I heard it as a kid, big band music! I picked up Tenor Sax in High School and was desperate to play jazz piano & sax but could never seem to get it out through my fingers but with my voice, it was never a problem. I would listen to
Ella Fitzgerald and imitate her scats and then make up my own. I've sung Rock, Pop and Broadway, but Jazz is a real passion!"
EARLY REVIEWS:
Vocalist Bob
Mundy has a rich tenor voice that charms you over with a team of Dan Kaufman/p,
Peter Slavov/b, Sam Dadigursky-Joel Frahm/sax, Dominick Faronacci/tp, Lage Lund/g, Yves Dharamraf/cel and Mark Ferber/dr. The horns supply hip support as Faranacci delivers lyrical solos on the peppy and upbeat "You Wanna Bet" while sounding late night gasping on the heartfelt "But Beautiful." Frahm wails as
Mundy loosens his tie and collar on the bluesy "Getting Beyond Goodbye" while flexing his muscles as he swaggers on "Loads of Love." Most attractive are the sonatas with Dharamraf's cello, which adds soothing drapery to the dramatic "
Carpe Diem" and the wondrous title track. A guy with boy-next-door charm." -Jazzweekly
"Vocalist Bob
Mundy has a distinguishable blue-eyed soul voicing that melds the smooth timbres of
Johnny Mathis with the commanding poise of Michael Feinstein. His latest release, Love to Me, is a collection of covers and original tunes that emerged from his collaboration with songwriters Chris Caswell and Steven Cagan. Track after track is finely tailored to bring out the lush textures of his vocal register."-Blogcritics
"From the first track, you get an opportunity to appreciate the very impressive merits of Bob Mundy's voice. He makes great triumphs - excellent intonation, emotional expressiveness, and a very wide range of sound (the ending Getting Beyond Goodbye gives an idea of how high Bob can climb."-Jazzquad
"Bob Mundy's wonderful voice and the delicious conversation with Dominick Farinacci's trumpet directed by Dan Kaufman's work on the black & white keys work, is enchanting while listening to this 'Love To Me'. -Rootsville
"Bob, I love your voice!" -Betty Buckley, Tony Award Winner
"This is a 5 star voice on a 5 star album! I'm in love with BobMundy!" -Gill Manley-Jazz Singer-London
"Wow! Just wow! Never before was an album so aptly titled. What a great choice of material and what fantastic arrangements. And, Bob, that voice? Where have you been hiding it all these years? Glad the world is about to find out just how talented you are!" -Patrick Pacheco- NY 1
"This is male vocalism that is dramatic, fun, gentle, and everything is just beautifully sung." -Grady Harp: HALL OF FAMETOP 100 REVIEWER VINE VOICE-Amazon
"This is not just singing, this is a gifted artist at work sharing his eloquent gifts with the world!" - -Ken Malucelli: Owner, Prince/SF Productions
"Bob
Mundy is an extraordinary vocalist !" -Danielle Miceli Cabaret Today
Love to Me is Bob Mundy's much anticipated follow up to his hit MAC Nominated 1st album Something Beautiful. It's a smart & alluring look at the kaleidoscopic and contradictory allure of Love!
The album reunites Bob with Dan Kaufman on piano,
Peter Slavov on Bass, Dominick Farinacci on Trumpet & Lage Lund on Electric Guitar and also features Joel Frahm on Tenor Sax, Sean Harkness on Acoustic Guitar, Mark Ferber on Drums, Sam Sadigursky on Tenor &
Soprano Sax, Keita Ogawa on Percussion & Yves Dharamraj on Cello.
This 2nd album Love to Me started with the song "But Beautiful", one of my all-time favorites. As Dan Kaufman, my co-producer & pianist and I were going thru other music to decide what was best to put on this album, I had brought the song "Love to Me" for him to hear. This song is from one of my favorite Broadway Shows "The Light in the Piazza" and, to me, perfectly represents what love is. I was dying to record it but I fully expected Dan to say there would be no way to do this with a Jazz arrangement so I didn't get my hopes up. To my surprise, he fell in love with it at first listen and the rest is history. I tried out quite a few album titles but "Love to Me" seemed the only choice, one that encompasses the whole experience of love. One of the great things that came out of the success of my 1st album "
Something Beautiful" was that it connected me with several incredibly successful songwriters including Chris Caswell, a very well-known Jazz writer who has worked with many greats including Nancy Wilson, and Phil Galdston who is best known for his
Vanessa Williams chart topping hit "Save the Best for Last". It also connected me with a lesser known composer named Steven Cagan who writes incredible songs and should be known by the masses. Thanks to these writers, half of this album is new music that has never been recorded. I am thrilled to be the 1st person to present these new songs to the world! Whether you are in-love, in-between love or simply have no time for love, Love to Me has something for everyone!
1. You Wanna Bet 2:45 Cy Coleman &
Dorothy Fields
2. Loads of Love 3:23 Richard Rodgers
3. Getting Beyond Goodbye 4:32 Chris Caswell
4. The Good Life-Extended Version 5:42 Sacha Distel & Jack Reardon
5. But Beautiful 5:14 Jimmy Van Heusen & Johnny Burke
6. Carpe Diem 4:56 Steven Cagan
7. All You Need to Say (Never Say yes) 3:19 Nat Adderley & Chris Caswell
8. No Time for Love 3:06 Chris Caswell
9. I Never Liked You 5:24
Spencer Day & Phil Galdston
10. Love to Me 5:00 Adam Guettel
11. Until 4:59
Gordon Matthew
Thomas Sumner
12. The Last Night of the Year 4:25 Michael Whalen & Phil Galdston
13. The Good Life-Short Version 3:18 Sacha Distel & Jack Reardon
Vocals: Bob
Mundy Piano: Dan Kaufman Bass:
Peter Slavov Drums: Mark Ferber Guitar: Lage Lund (Tracks 9, 10 & 11) Guitar: Sean Harkness (Track 13) Trumpet: Dominick Farinacci Tenor &
Soprano Sax: Sam Sadigursky (Tracks 1, 2, 10 & 11) Tenor Sax: Joel Frahm (Track 3) Percussion: Keita Ogawa Cello: Yves Dharamraj
