Local Jazz Singer to Perform at Lincoln Center

While jazz singer/pianist JB Baretsky works on his first full album through the summer, the Commack resident is preparing for two performances (June 11 and 19) during the American Crafts Festival at the prestigious Lincoln Center for Performing Arts in Manhattan.

Accompanied by his band the Third Q, the 24-year-old isn't nervous. In fact, Baretsky is anxious for a new generation to hear his versions of classic standards originally sung by the likes of Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and others.

"The more people I get to perform in front of, the more excited that I am," Baretsky said.

His excitement for playing live is swells when he compares the opportunities for exposure for different eras of artists. Unlike some of his biggest influences, Baretsky is able to garner new fans through today's multimedia technology. Ironically, he believes that lack of the internet for early jazz singers added something to their stardom.

"The only way to physically see Sinatra and the Rat Pack in those days was to attend their concerts or watch them on their rare television appearances," Baretsky said. "I feel that that added to their mystique and aura. If you could just walk to a computer any time you wanted, while they were still alive, I don't think we'd have the same respect and they wouldn't have that legendary, once-in-a-lifetime quality."

Given that Baretsky is primarily singing songs written generations before him, he's asked about it frequently. Although he also cites Michael Buble and Harry Connick Jr. as favorites, his interest in Sinatra runs deep.

"There are no artists today who have that sort of effect on American culture, although some of them may think they do," Baretsky said. "As far as Sammy Davis Jr., he possessed a level of all-around talent that you wouldn't be able to find if you combined three of today's artists. Musically, the chords and jazz scales, I feel, are just far more complex and interesting than some of today's popular music."

As for contemporary pop music, Baretsky isn't completely against it. In fact, he has recently reworked R&B song "Dynamite" by Taio Cruz. Due to a very positive response, he will continue to do similar adaptations. Dave Montpetit, who is helping to organize the event at Lincoln Center, is is a fan of his modern reworkings.

"He's not trying to be a rock star or an idol," Montpetit said. "He's a true entertainer like those performers of the past. He's bringing the youth into a realm of music that would have never otherwise been heard. There's a need for what JB does. Michael Buble's career is ten years old now and he's not capturing the youth market anymore. We need a rebel again like Sinatra. Not some cookie cutter singer who smiles all the time."

In order to achieve this, Baretsky uses the starightforward determination that's gotten him all the way to Lincoln Center.

"Throughout my life, anything I've set out to do, I haven't settled for anything less than my ultimate goal. Being in this business has been my dream since I was five years old. When most kids were pretending to be firemen and astronauts, I was singing songs and doing impressions of Jerry Lewis."