Indy's Most Surprising Jazz Singer

Only since about 2003 has Daniel (a.k.a. “D.A.”) begun to realize his potential as a singer and entertainer. Rather suddenly, he became a much better singer than he had ever been before. After listening to a lot of Tony Bennett, Frank Sinatra and Michael Bublé, Daniel made an adjustment to his vocal technique, improving his intonation and breath support. He has gained control of his instrument, learning to sing every note in his range smoothly and accurately, from the start of each note to the release.

Billing his act as “D.A. Sings Jazz,” Daniel performed five or six long programs a month for the last year and a half. With a steady, weekly gig on Tuesdays at Brix, A Zionsville Bistro, he also made appearances at other wine bar-restaurants, such as Eddie Merlot’s, D’Vine Wine Bar, and Deano’s Vino, where his mellow, jazzy style and classic, old-school repertoire worked well.

Another key to his development was “The Big Apple.” Daniel visited New York in the summers of 2004 and 2005, where he met several poets and jazz musicians, did public readings of his poetry, and sang in open-mic programs at Cleopatra’s Needle, a jazz club on Broadway on the Upper West Side. The positive reception he was given was very encouraging, and made him believe his true calling was singing the standards, romantic ballads and swing tunes he has always loved.

Back in Indianapolis, D.A. worked hard on repertoire, studying the lyrics and melodies of the songs he wanted to sing. Command of the material, along with improved technique, helped him to become a confident performer. His surprisingly nuanced and powerful voice is a perfect fit for American Songbook standards and the traditional, mainstream jazz style. To break into the Indy jazz scene, he needed to make "a real jazz record" with the best musicians he could find.

Recorded at The Lodge Studios in the summer of 2006, that CD is called, “A Place to Dream.” Daniel sings ten standards with pianist/arranger Ken Fary, and a great group of session players, including Sam Withrow on drums, Jack Helsley on bass, Jeff Conrad on trumpet and flugel horn, and Michael Stricklin on tenor saxophone. Daniel made his Jazz Kitchen debut with a CD release concert on Feb. 24, 2007, followed by his Chatterbox debut on Mar. 9, with The Ken Fary Trio.

With the emergence of an extraordinary singing ability in middle age, D.A. is defying the conventional wisdom and becoming one of the best male jazz/standards singers around. As a result of perseverance, faith, dreams, and a lot of hard work, the rising career of Daniel A. Young in 2007 promises to be one of the Indy music scene’s biggest and best surprises.