Anton Commissaris Interview on Nagamag

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Nagamag:
Which are the genres that describe your music style better?

Anton Commissaris:
Jazz - vocal, with notes of blues, soul, rhythm and blues, and gospel styles.

Nagamag:
Few words about your musical background and career?

Anton Commissaris:
I am a Jazz composer, pianist, and vocalist based in the San Francisco Bay Area. I released my first EP - On A Bright Note - in February 2021. I have a new single - Lonely Bay - released on September 24, 2021, and a second EP - Out of the Blue - coming out in October 2021.

Nagamag:
Do you remember your first connection of love to music that was the right impact to be a music artist now?

Anton Commissaris:
I had heard music on the radio but the first time I felt a true connection was when at about 9 years old, I listened to an album by Joe Cocker - With a Little Help from My Friends. Cocker's voice was raw, bluesy, and powerfully emotional. It struck a chord with me. Intrigued, I began to play the record over and over. Two songs, in particular, stood out for me - the title track - With a Little Help from My Friends - and - She Came in Through the Bathroom Window. I didn't realize it at the time, but these were both Lennon-McCartney covers. I would later become a huge Beatles fan, impressed particularly by the fact that they composed, played, and sung their own music.

Nagamag:
How did you become a fan of Jazz music?

Anton Commissaris:
My mother was into Jazz music and she played a lot of records that I picked up on when I was young. When I was learning the piano at an early age, she also had Jazz sheet music laying around that I would learn how to play. I remember, in particular, being impressed by - Smoke Gets in Your Eyes. During my college years, I picked up on Frank Sinatra and many of the other great singers of the American Song Book. As an alternative to all the other standard pop music of the day, we would play this at parties and have a lot of fun, while others were somewhat confused by our retro tastes. Then after, playing classical piano for a number of years, I drifted back into Jazz and fell in love with that style of music all over again.

Nagamag:
Many artists listen to genres that they are not producing music for. Which track is your favorite that is NOT similar to yours?

Anton Commissaris:
The Beatles "For No One"

Nagamag:
Of Course Nagamag would love to listen also which is the track from a similar artist you admire?

Anton Commissaris:
Sarah Vaughan "Misty"