Keeping the standards alive
by ELIZABETH TAUFA Reporter

Chuck Harrington

Hanging on to the musical traditions of yesteryear isn't all that easy. Just ask Chuck Harrington.

"I understand why economically a lot of performers are going to taped music," he said. "But I just don't feel the same gratification. If you goof up on stage, then you can share that with the audience. It's part of the experience."

Harrington, a Buffalo native and now Williamsville resident, has been singing and performing all his life.

"I always did it," he said. "At school, and my family was very musical. It was always around."

After spending time in California, Harrington returned to Western New York and performs regularly throughout the area.

Harrington will make his third appearance at The Tralf Music Hall, 622 Main St., Buffalo, at 8 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 29. He will be keeping with his own traditions by using area musicians instead of taped music.

At a young age, Harrington began his tradition of collaborating with other musicians, singing with a childhood friend who played the guitar.

"I like the feeling of singing with just a guitar because it exposes you," he said. "You're not hiding, so you can express yourself."

Harrington eventually left WNY for California, studying at the Willard Bassett School of Voice in Santa Ana and attending El Camino College in Torrance, studying voice and theater arts.

While in California, he appeared in dinner theater productions and nightclubs. He was also a featured singer at the Sea Witch Cabaret at Ghirardelli Square in San Francisco.

The veteran music man will be performing a few selections with just a guitar but on the whole will be using the ensemble to sing old standards by Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett, among others, as well as show tunes and Latin arrangements.

"I don't consider myself a jazz singer because it's a rarity to hear a natural jazz singer," he said. "You

Harrington will perform at the Tralf with a six-piece ensemble including Dave Schiavone on saxophone, flute and clarinet; Rick Strauss on guitar; and John Maguda on trumpet and flugelhorn.

His goal for the performance, he said, was to give the audience a sense of nostalgia without bringing them down.

"I usually pick a theme that's very bright and uplifting because we need that these days," he said. "There will be a few reflective mood pieces, but not too many."

Now that Harrington is home, he's enjoying performing in his hometown.

"There's a closeness here because people have been settled here for so many years," he said of Buffalo. "Other places, like California, people are always moving in and out, and so many things change. There's a closeness here that you can share because of your roots."

As for his genre, Harrington is encouraged by the resurgence it has experienced with artists such as Harry Connick Jr. and Michael Buble.

"I'm really pleased with people like Michael Buble," he said. "They're preserving music that otherwise would have been lost."

Tickets for Harrington's Sept. 29 show at the Tralf are $17 and are available at the Tralf box office (852-2860), Ticketmaster (852-5000), New World Records (883-3472) or Harrington's production company, Adorina Productions (635-0219).

e-mail: etaufa@beenews.com