Will Donato is one of musics most dynamic performers, gifted with the ability to bond and connect with his audiences. His latest radio single Infinite Soul, released in January 2019 and dedicated to his hero father Joseph, a retired military man and Wills inspirational wife Diana, reached the coveted #1 spot on the Billboard smooth jazz airplay chart.
A cancer survivor who truly celebrates each day and each person he meets, Will has headlined or shared the stage as a special guest at the Blue Note in New York City, The Seabreeze Jazz Festival, The Algarve Groove International Jazz Festival in Portugal, The Rehoboth Beach Jazz Festival, Humphrey's By The Bay, The Capital Jazz Cruise, and Rick Braun's New Year's Eve.
Will has performed with some of the best known musicians of the groove / smooth jazz genre, namely Al McKay of Earth Wind and Fire, Richard Elliot, Bruce Conte of Tower of Power, Steve Reid of The Rippingtons, Brian Simpson, Steve Oliver, Gregg Karukas and Nick Colionne. He has worked in the pop music genre as well - most notably with Gerald Levert, Wynonna Judd, Toni Childs, and superstar Richard Marx. His music can be heard on the number one contemporary jazz legacy hit from Steve Oliver, High Noon as well as on the soundtracks from several movie scores including Thelma and Louise, The Wedding Planner, Under the Boardwalk, and No Mans Land.
Slim Man won Best Jazz Vocalist in 2021 at the Coachella Music Awards. Fifth year in a row. Winner! Winner! Meatball dinner!
Heres the skinny on Slim Man
Conceived on the Isle of Capri in Italy, he was born in Baltimore, Maryland. When he was 5 years old, Slim Man saw a movie with his dad. That film was The Five Pennies, and when Slim Boy saw Louis Armstrong play the trumpet and sing, he told his Dad, Thats what I want to do. Slim Man studied trumpet for the next 9 years, and taught himself how to play piano and guitar. After studying piano, composition, and harmony at Peabody Institute in Baltimore, MD, Slim Man got signed as a songwriter to Motown Records. Hes had songs recorded by the Temptations, Angela Bofill, Carl Anderson, and others.
Slim Man recorded a CD for Motown, which gave birth to his signature stylea unique blend of jazz, soul, and pop. Slim Man went on to form the band BootCamp, who had two of the first 100 videos ever played on MTV. Those videos catapulted BootCamp into a successful concert career, performing with The B-52s, Squeeze, Split Enz, Johnny Winter, and others. After BootCamp broke up, Slim Man organized and hosted a nationwide country music talent contest. It was during this contest that he got the nickname Slim Man. Slims big discovery during the contest was in Tulsa, Oklahoma, at a honkytonk called Tulsa City Limits.
The guy who won the contest that night was Ronnie Dunn, who went on to win the national finals in Nashville, and later hooked up with Kix Brooks to form the multiple Grammy award-winning country music duo, Brooks and Dunn. After the Marlboro contest, Slim Man released his debut CD End of the Rainbow. This CD made many Top Ten lists for the year, and inspired JD Considine (Rolling Stone) to write
A near-perfect example of how jazz and soul can be combined as pop. JD Considine (Rolling Stone)
Location
Sound Bites Grill (View)
101 N. Hwy 89A, F29
Sedona, AZ 86336
United States
