Robert Davi cracked open the pages of the Great American Songbook at the Paramount in Huntington on November 23rd, and the music of Oscar Hammerstein, Cole Porter, Harold Arlen, Sammy Cahn, Yip Harburg and Johnny Mercer filled the hall. Usually the venue is booked for rock concerts, but Davi still sold out every ticket and filled the house to capacity. Davi told L4LM that these songs “take you to a deeper level”, and the audience clearly agreed with him. The singer dressed elegantly in similar fashion to the Chairman of the Board in a suave tux, a straight black tie, and cool sunglasses.  Robert informed L4LM that, “On Sundays, Sinatra usually wore a suit and not a tux. So my quiet nod is to wear a straight tie instead of a bowtie.” Davi opened with I’ve Got the World on a String. He began to croon after a short highlight reel featuring some fine moments from the over 130 films he has made, including 1985’s The Goonies, and the 1989 James Bond installment, License to Kill. Davi may be considered Bond’s top nemesis by many fans, but he was cast as the Paramount hero tonight.
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As music icon Quincy Jones has been quoted: “As Frank Sinatra would say, ‘Koo,Koo! Wow! I have never heard anyone come this close to Sinatra’s sound -and still be himself. Many try, but Robert Davi has the voice, the tone, the flavor and the swagger. He absolutely touched me down to my soul and brought back the essence of Ol’ Blue Eyes himself.”  Davi opened the evening’s festivities with Nice ‘n’ Easy, Davi remained his own man performing his own unique act from start to finish. Yet Sinatra’s sound and the ambiance that surrounded him in life was brought back tonight in copious measure. The Paramount was turned into Skinny D’Amato’s classic club in Atlantic City, that brought us acts such as Sinatra, Sammy Davis, and Dean Martin and Jerry Lewis. Robert remarked to L4LM that he wanted the show to have a “Copa Cabana vibe”. With tables set up on the Paramount’s floor, the setting captured the desired effect perfectly.  The full house were treated to a touch of class, and champagne from a vintage bottle of Dom Perignon poured into a crystal glass that was akin to the experience of seeing Sinatra in a classic venue. Such extravagance is only saved for very special evenings, such as this one.  And everyone in attendance got a kick from the libations, as well as the music flowing so freely in on the autumn winds.
Robert Davi is not shy in expressing his well thought out opinions. When he sang The House I Live In, he hearkened back to a short WWII morale boosting film with a viewpoint we would benefit from hearing often today. Of course, this film stars Frank Sinatra, and offers a powerful opposition to anti-Semitism and racial prejudice. What is America to Me? To Robert, it is an America of faith, of duty, of responsibilty, and patriotism. Robert has expressed these views on many appearances on various Fox News programs. The popular music of today brings us to a more unromantic, and violent time. Robert says, “it frays the nerves”.  It is the crooner’s hope that a revival of songs from the Great American Songbook may soften these trends in entertainment.Â
The show carried on with At Long Last Love, Moonlight in Vermont, and Just One of Those Things. With material this rock solid, it is hard to go wrong even for lesser musicians. This band, however,performs these songs with deep talent. They provide both the understanding and nuance this music demands at the highest level of play. The singer made a point of acknowledging his sextet, and also putting a heckler in the audience to quick shame. Davi pointed out that he was “the only tough guy” in the house, with the simultaneous desired effect with a big slice of humor underneath. The heckler was never heard from for the rest of the evening. Perhaps he was thinking better of having that second drink, since the first one didn’t go over so well.
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The band flew in from Los Angeles, and featured vibe player Emil Richards. Emil ‘made his bones’ playing on Sinatra’s world tours in 1959, and 1962. Davi’s musical director and pianist is Randy Waldman. Randy fills the same musical shoes for no less than the legendary Barbara Streisand, and also for Mr. George Benson. Dave Tull is well known in L.A. for his world class jazz drumming, and he supplied excellence in giving Davi some slap on the skins. Carlito Del Puerto filled out the rhythm section on bass as a master, even while wearing white socks with his dark suit. Long Island was represented by two fine players, with Joe Carbone on guitar and Louis Caputo on alto sax and flute. With each coast so superbly represented in the band, it is easy to see why the show is such a hit throughout the country.
Robert Davi worked with Frank Sinatra for the first time in the 1977 telemovie, Contract on Cherry Street. Davi told L4LM that Sinatra immediately recognized that he was also a forceps baby. Sinatra told him, “Don’t let those scars bother you. Those scars are what make you who you are.” As Sinatra was being delivered, his ear was ripped during the birth, and his grandmother’s quick thinking saved his life. The shared ailment brought out a deep sympathy and sincerity Sinatra often held for other people, and various types of ‘underdogs’.  Sinatra definitely found a like soul in his friend, and colleague Robert Davi. Davi’s love and admiration for Francis Abert Sinatra continues to drive his creative muse to this day. Their fortuitous meeting continues to send ripples through the pond of Robert’s life, as he sends them back out as a gift to others in song. Â
Davi Sings Sinatra: On The Road to Romance, was released on CD in 2011. Legendary producer, the late Phil Ramone heard Davi’s demos recorded at Capitol Records, and the singer tells L4LM that they “hit it off wonderfully”. Davi went on to record the album with Ramone as the producer, after starring in his show Lanza!, in the role of Lucky Luciano. The 12 fine tracks on the CD propelled the release all the way to #6 on the Billboard jazz charts. As Davi remarked, “Great tunes have no expiration date.” At Lanza’s end, Davi was cajoled into singing Sinatra, and the audience was eating up the performance with a side dish of verve. Other numbers included Fly Me to the Moon, Send in the Clowns, You Make Me Feel So Young, and the Sinatra staple tune, My Way.
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Robert Davi has performed on a critically acclaimed tour of Australia, and has made the neon lights of Vegas burn even brighter with his shows there. 2013 was ‘a very good year’, as Robert sang before a crowd of over 10,000 people at the Harry Chapin Theater in East Meadow, Long Island. Honored guests included songwriter Ervin Drake, and his lovely wife Vera. 2014 was an even better year, as Robert returned to the venue singing to over 13,000 fans, as word could not help but spread far and wide. The shows were sponsored by Ed Mangano’s Summer Concert Series, and the 2nd annual showing for Davi displayed his increasing audience and growing popularity. The singer plans to tour again in April, and fans do not want to miss the chance to catch his act. Sinatra’s 100th Birthday will arrive next year, and Davi’s is certainly the show to catch to celebrate. Robert Davi will be seen in two exciting forthcoming movie releases. Club Life stars Robert Davi, Jessica Szohr, and Jerry Ferrara, and will arrive in theatres in May 2015. Robert will also star with Luke Goss in Your Move, to be released sometime in 2015. Perhaps Broadway luminary Chazz Palminteri summed it up best when he said, “Once there was Sinatra and now there is Davi. Robert Davi sang and left the audience breathless.”
Words by: Bob Wilson    Photos by: Wayne Herrschaft Â
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