Doo-Wop Project comes to Morristown
The popularity of the musical “Jersey Boys” has introduced audiences in their teens and 20s to Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons that were popular in the 1960s.
But indirectly, the show is helping to perpetuate a style of music even older: the doo-wop vocal sounds that ruled the charts in the 1950s.
That sound is being brought up-to-date by the Doo-Wop Project, a group of five singers who are current or former members of the cast of “Jersey Boys.”
The repertoire of the Doo-Wop Project includes vintage numbers such as “That’s My Desire,” “Remember Then” and “Denise.” But the singers also dip into the catalog of artists like Michael Jackson, Jason Mraz, and Boyz II Men.
The multigenerational approach is deliberate, according to Dominic Scaglione Jr. “We want to stay true to doo-wop, but we also want to reach all the different age groups,” says Scaglione, who currently is starring as Frankie Valli in “Jersey Boys.”
The Doo-Wop Project will appear at the Mayo Performing Arts Center this Saturday.
Scaglione says that the group gradually coalesced backstage at “Jersey Boys” a couple of years ago. “(The other actors and I) were talking about how much we enjoyed singing,” he says. “We were looking for something we could do together.”
Doo-wop was a common point of reference for the actors. The distinctive harmonies were popularized by such groups as the Moonglows, the Penguins, and the Five Satins.
“We admired that authentic, street-corner sound,” says Scaglione, who recalls listening to his father’s old records. “There aren’t a lot of guys our age who liked that type of music.”
However, although the Four Seasons were known as a vocal group, their harmonies are different from the demands of doo-wop. “We knew we had to have a true bass, which the Four Seasons didn’t have,” Scaglione says.
That foundation was supplied by Dwayne Cooper, whose credits include “Hairspray” and “Motown: The Musical.” “He’s got the kind of voice that raises the roof,” Scaglione says.
“The cool thing is that we all five are able to sing lead,” Scaglione says. “We’re able to take the lead on different songs.”
Scaglione says he enjoys singing lead on a song like “Morse Code of Love” by the Capris. “But I also like to do the obscure stuff, the really deep songs,” he says.
The Doo-Wop Project also applies their skills to such songs as “The Way You Make Me Feel” by Michael Jackson and “Valerie” by Amy Winehouse.
Scaglione gives credit to the arrangements by Sonny Paladino, the group’s musical director. “Sonny is our sixth member,” Scaglione says, adding that Paladino’s uncle, Martin D’Amico, played with Johnny Maestro and the Brooklyn Bridge.
The Doo-Wop Project has been able to give a number of performances in the past couple of years. The challenge is working around the schedule of the Broadway performances.
“It’s difficult,” Scaglione says. “None of us wants to take himself out of the Broadway community. We have to work around time off allowed by our contracts.”
At the same time, however, he says that he and the other singers want to continue Doo-Wop Project. “We want people to know that we’re passionate about this,” Scaglione says. “We want to take this as far as we can.”
THE DOO-WOP PROJECT
WHAT: Five Broadway performers, veterans of the casts of “Jersey Boys” and “Motown: The Musical,” offer doo-wop versions of both vintage 1950s numbers and current pop hits.
WHEN: 8 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 10
WHERE: Mayo Performing Arts Center, 100 South St., Morristown
TICKETS: $29 to $49