Deana Martin

Listen to "Deana Martin Swing Street" on Spreaker. A world class entertainer equally comfortable performing with a celebrated symphony at a legendary concert hall and an intimate cabaret stage with a swinging jazz quintet, Deana Martin – daughter of legendary singer, actor and entertainer Dean Martin – has forged an inspiring path as a visionary artist in her own right. In addition to her many musical successes, she is a New York Times bestselling author, a gifted actor, a vocalist of incredible emotional depth and passion and a licensed pilot. While the world embraced her dad as one of its most iconic singers, comic performers and entertainers, Deana Martin knew a more intimate side of our beloved Dino - the loving father who dared his daughter to dream. Growing up, she remembers him telling her “When you dream, dream big, because dreams do come true. There’s nothing you can’t do if you really set your mind to it and work hard.” She also recalls his sly, playful rejoinder to that sentiment: “Just please, whatever you do, don’t embarrass me.” Decades later, as a world class entertainer and international recording artist in her own right, Deana is doing more than making Dean a proud papa. When she published her bestselling memoir Memories Are Made of This: Dean Martin Through His Daughter’s Eyes and recorded her long awaited debut album Memories Are Made of This in 2006, she was all about extending her family legacy via cool interpretations of some of his best loved tunes. Now, with hundreds of worldwide performances behind her, a growing discography of jazz flavored albums rising on the Billboard charts and an ever increasing demand for performances at clubs, festivals and concert halls throughout the U.S., Australia and Italy, she continues to create a unique legacy of her own. For Deana, ever the stylish musical adventurer, there was only one place to go following her critically acclaimed 2013 collection Destination Moon – a trip to “52nd and Broadway,” also known as Swing Street. Produced by her husband John Griffeth, the singer’s latest album on Big Fish Records offers an exciting mix of swinging classics from multiple eras (“Bye Bye Blackbird,” “Georgia on My Mind,” “Quando Quando Quando,” Billy Joel’s “New York State of Mind,” Classic IV’s super-sly and sexy “Spooky”); a wink to her dad’s pal “Uncle Frank” Sinatra via “That’s Life”; a nod to her long-held passion for country music (“Tennessee Whiskey”); and a clever, whirlwind ride through one of Dean’s more obscure sides, “Who’s Got the Action,” the title song from the 1962 film starring him and Lana Turner. She also takes a boisterous Italian tune of unknown origin (“Bellisima”) and pens poignant and playful original lyrics that pay direct homage to Dino and includes joyful shout-outs from the big band featuring of some of Los Angeles’ top session players. After a decade of albums chock full of re-imaginings of beloved classics, Deana establishes a fresh side of her artistry on Swing Street, centering the 15 track collection on five dynamic originals co-written by four time Emmy winner, two time Grammy winner and Oscar and Pulitzer prize nominee Patrick Williams. The legendary film and television composer – also co-arranger and conductor of the Swing Street sessions with two time Grammy nominee Chris Walden – presented a batch of fresh tunes to Deana and John Griffeth to choose from. With his spot on arrangements and her innate ability to swing, she turns “52nd & Broadway,” “I’ve Been Around,” “Hearing Ella Sing,” “Good Things Grow” and “I Know What You Are” into instant classics. “We had been wanting to work with Patrick for a long time,” says Deana. “Swing Street began with John and I sitting down with him narrowing down our list of songs from 200 to 50 and then culling further. I’ve loved all the sessions I’ve done for my previous albums, but working with Patrick took this to a whole different level. It was a special feeling sitting in his office, picking songs and watching his facial expressions with each choice. He has such a fantastic sense of humor and a beautiful way about him. Once we got the set list down to 20, knowing we had to get to 14, John turned to Patrick and said, ‘You write songs. Do you have anything great that you think Dina could swing?’ Patrick said, as a matter of fact, I do.’ Patrick pulled out these incredible songs, and just happened to have a piano player there ready to try them out. I also told him there was a pop song I’d been wanting to do for a long time, that I hoped he would arrange. I sang a little bit of ‘Spooky’ and he began snapping his fingers and said, ‘I got it. Peggy Lee meets Fever.’ He sent me the arrangement very quickly.” Deana has long believed that if she’s singing great songs, the genre doesn’t matter. “In my mind,” she says, “if you’ve got a classic tune or a new tune that could become one, it’s not hard to swing it as long as the arrangements and phrasings are interesting. Doing the Great American Songbook classics associated with my dad and Frank Sinatra served me well, but now I am enjoying moving on, changing and learning more about music as I grow. I’m not timid and I’m embracing all of the great opportunities coming my way. To me, if you’re not getting better, you better get off the ride.”