Esposito sings Sinatra favorites with the Jazz Lobsters.
- Adam Taliercio
Asbury Park Press |
The blue-eyed crooner with
the orange pocket hankie is finishing his rendition of
"Summer Wind." His baritone is a bit weathered now, and
he sports a paunch, but his fans could care less.
The applause he receives is touched with love for a
showbiz icon and nostalgia for the immortal performances
of yesteryear. The "Chairman" turns to the band leader
and barks, good naturedly, in an accent straight out of
the New York/New Jersey Area, "Whadaya Got?"
Sounds like Frank Sinatra, doesn't it? A description of
the late, great "Ol' Blue Eyes" at work in a later
period of his life?
It's not.
It's actually John “Ol’
Blue Eyes” Esposito, working the crowd at a dance
contest last summer in Long Branch. Esposito, a 58
year-old Middletown resident, is a Frank Sinatra
''stylist.'' He plays clubs, restaurants, parties and
any other venue he can find, evoking the memory of
Sinatra's legendary voice.
With his particular sound and tendency to look older
than his years, Esposito is well equipped to conjure the
image of the popular music patriarch as elder statesman.
“I like to think he would have liked me,” says
Esposito, a veteran entertainer who is riding a wave of public
affection for the man nick-named “Chairman of the
Board.” Esposito's business card even contains the words
“Call The Chairman at...,'' followed by his phone
number. |
“I think that the greatest
form of flattery is when you copy somebody,” Esposito
says.
- Mike Barris
Asbury Park Press
 |
