Rob's latest CD "You Ought To Be Havin' Fun !" is an exciting concept combining 1960s and 70s pop hits with a full big band sound.
As you are now listening to several of the songs, you can hear the passion and energy that has been put into this project.
Rob’s "Something Makes Me Want To Dance With You" CD was recorded in 2000. His big band was arranged and conducted by Lew Anderson. The songs are by 20th century greats such as Rogers & Hart, Hammerstein, Mercer, and Porter.
On occasion Rob has performed at Birdland in New York City with The Lew Anderson Big Band up until 2006. It was there that he premiered his single, "Here’s to Frank".
This original song was written by Joe Ronan and arranged by Lew Anderson. It pays homage to the voice, the talent, and the legend of Frank Sinatra.
The Voice - Live:
Not many vocalists have performed with the most popular big band of all time - The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra.
From January 2001 to February 2009, Rob was the featured vocalist for this famous big band.
The affiliation has taken this great singer on tour with the Orchestra around the globe and all the way to the 2005 President’s Inaugural Ball in Washington, D.C.
Rob will tell you that it has been his honor and privilege to perform with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra under the direction of the legendary Buddy Morrow.
Buddy Morrow, who performed with The Tommy Dorsey Orchestra, will tell you that Zappulla’s talent, his rich baritone voice, his own style and interpretation of the Great American Songbook, and his prior experiences as a professional, dynamic entertainer was a perfect match for the great Orchestra.
Rob has been recording and performing live for the past twenty-eight years and is known for his impeccable high energy performance that pays tribute to Frank Sinatra.
The Trumpet:
Rob grew up in Connecticut, where he had big dreams. As an 8-year old, he heard Harry James play the trumpet and the die was cast.
Rob studied at the prestigious Hartt School of Music.
After school, he found work as a trumpeter with show bands such as The Barnum and Bailey Circus, The Box Tops, Lesley Gore and many other well known groups.
His professionalism and talent took him from a jazz and classical trumpeter, theater musician and conductor to performing with big bands and symphony orchestras.
Since 1980 to present, he has toured with several groups, opening for Tower of Power, The Temptations, The Drifters, The Shirelles, and Little Anthony and the Imperials, to name a few.
As a trumpeter, he can be heard on countless recordings with a variety of bands.
Rob’s incredible voice, superb trumpet playing, extraordinary style and showmanship continue to bring him tremendous accolades at major theaters, casinos and various venues throughout the world.
When you listen to the popular songs of each decade, you’ll hear the music evolve not only with new ideas, but also with the inclusion of elements from previous years that were adapted and enhanced to create a whole new sound.
The 1960s and 70s were a time when some of the most creative music was written. The songs had incredible melodies and lyrics that made a big impression on me while growing up, and continue to influence me as a jazz/pop vocalist and trumpeter in my professional career. As a big band vocalist performing music of the swing era as well, I appreciate the significance that these two genres had in music history.
While keeping the integrity of the original artist’s compositions, I combined the full sound of a big band with new arrangements of hits from the 60s and 70s to introduce a concept that listeners of all ages could relate to and enjoy.
I hope you have as much fun listening to these great tunes as I had recording them.
Thanks so much for the Add–and your friendship. We enjoyed your music very much. Thanks for sharing it with all of us. It's a pleasure having you among our friends! We've added two blogs about Umano, plus four more new compositions, making ten on our page. We hope you and your friends visit us and enjoy our music, too. We wake up every morning and play the music of the new MySpace friends who have arrived at our site during the night. It occurred to us that these friends (you are among them) are almost universally positive, whether they be novices or legends, and without regard to their station in life or the country they occupy. Although it's not an original thought, it also occurred to us that we couldn’t hold a verbal conversation with most of these friends, but we have bridged that gap by expressing our art honestly with each other. We all have been filling the world with our music and art, in the hope that our messages of love and human understanding will have an impact on the world at large. What a gift and what an opportunity we have received from this technology!
Nice rendition of More Today than Yesterday....looking forward to catching one of your shows again! It's been too long. Have fun at Cheney Hall...wish we could be there (I'll be performing that night, dang it!)
