Danny Sinoff Trio to Perform at Feinstein's at The Hotel Carmichael

Feinstein's at The Hotel Carmichael will welcome Danny Sinoff Trio: Celebrating the Great American Songbook on Saturday, October 24.

A jazz pianist, vocalist and bandleader, Danny Sinoff has spent more than two decades bringing the music of the Great American Songbook to clubs, concert halls and restaurants throughout Southwest Florida and beyond. With thousands of performances under his belt, Sinoff is a true working musician who has honed his craft where it matters most — onstage, night after night.

He has shared those stages with some extraordinary names. His performance and recording credits include tenor saxophonist and flutist David “Fathead” Newman, Chris Brubeck, Dan Brubeck, organist Jimmy McGriff, guitarists Russell Malone and Paul Bollenback, drummers Joe Farnsworth, Herlin Riley and Ulysses Owens Jr., trumpeter and vocalist Benny Benack III, tenor saxophonist Jerry Weldon, bassist Ben Wolfe and trumpeter Joe Magnarelli.

His résumé also includes appearances at legendary New York venues including The Apollo Theater, Smoke, The Cutting Room, B.B. King's, Minton's and The Triad, as well as Chris' Jazz Café in Philadelphia. He has performed at festivals including South Beach, Syracuse, Adirondack and the Suncoast Jazz Classic in Clearwater, Florida.

Sinoff's musical journey began early. He started classical piano lessons at age four and was performing professionally by 13. Raised by his grandparents, he developed a deep appreciation for discipline, musicianship and presentation — values that continue to shape his approach today.

At 14, his father introduced him to recordings by Harry Connick Jr. and Bobby Darin, opening the door to jazz and the Great American Songbook. After studying at Berklee College of Music, Sinoff moved to Florida, where he became a fixture at Ellington's Jazz Club on Sanibel Island, performing with trumpeter Dan Miller, whose credits include work with Connick, Maynard Ferguson and Wynton Marsalis.

He later spent 15 years performing two nights a week at The Roadhouse Café in Fort Myers, often joined by a rotating cast of top musicians that included Lew Del Gatto, the longtime saxophonist for Saturday Night Live.

Sinoff's piano playing reflects the influence of masters including Oscar Peterson, Ahmad Jamal, Red Garland, Wynton Kelly and Bill Charlap, while his baritone voice carries the spirit of Frank Sinatra, Bobby Darin, Nat King Cole, Tony Bennett and Harry Connick Jr. He also draws inspiration from Freddy Cole, Shirley Horn and Blossom Dearie.

The result is a style that keeps a great tradition very much alive: the singing jazz pianist. Sinoff describes it as “two instruments in conversation,” with the piano providing the harmony and rhythm while the voice tells the story.

And storytelling is at the heart of his performances.

The evening's repertoire includes favorites such as “Taking a Chance on Love,” “I Won't Dance,” “Mood Indigo” and “Make Someone Happy,” alongside “I Left My Heart in San Francisco” and “Sorry Seems to Be the Hardest Word.” Audiences will also hear Sinoff duet with Benny Benack III on “All I Need Is the Girl.”

His new album features a bluesy closing track, “Black Coffee,” inspired by the Bobby Darin recordings his father shared with him as a teenager — music that helped set Sinoff on his lifelong path.

For Sinoff, Make Someone Happy is more than an album title. It's a philosophy.

He approaches music as communication — something meant to move an audience rather than simply impress it. Every performance comes down to the same goal: make the band swing, make the audience feel it and mean every note.