A New Spin on Old Standards

Standards are, by definition, songs everyone knows.

The trick in performing them, according to radio host and singer Gregg Hunter, is to find a different take.

Hunter, a columnist for a local Glendale paper and host of KIEV radio’s “Nightside L.A.,” will perform Sunday night at Jax Bar and Grill in Glendale with pianist Norman Mamey’s trio.

“We’re going to do the great standards of Gershwin, Porter and Kern and so on,” Hunter said.

“I’m looking to do the music and have a great time with it. There is nothing I’d rather do than sit on a stool and sing great lyrics to people until my (vocal) chords give out.”

The songs were picked by Hunter and Mamey, who have tried to select tunes with just the right spin on them.

“Norman and I are both perfectionists. We put in a lot of hours in rehearsing for this,” Hunter said. “You don’t want to just get up there and sing.”

Their performance may surprise audience members. For example, Hunter will sing George Gershwin’s lyrical ballad, “Someone to Watch Over Me,” to a samba beat. “On the Street Where You Live” will be performed “really up,” said Hunter, who demonstrated by singing a few bars with a quick, bouncy tempo.

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“It’s a challenge. People will say, ‘Here comes that song again,’ but this time it’s different,” Hunter said.

Hunter will be accompanied by Mamey on piano, Dave Stone on bass and Alan Vavrin on drums. The first set starts at 7:30 p.m. at the restaurant and bar, 339 N. Brand Blvd. There is no cover and no minimum order. Information: (818) 500-1604.