O.C. Singer to Do D.C. Duty

When Newport Coast resident Resa Hempfling sings “It Had to Be You” at the Jan. 20 Inauguration of President-elect George W. Bush, she’s putting all party politics aside.

The “nonpartisan” alto jazz singer is a veteran musician when it comes to presidential galas. It’s her third since President Clinton was inaugurated in 1993.

Hempfling, who performs solo or with her jazz combo, is a regular at the Hyatt Newporter. Her big break came after a White House music ensemble known as the President’s Men saw her show at Blues Alley in Washington.

They called her when she was back in Orange County.

“It was a phone call out of the blue,” said Hempfling, 45. “They said, ‘We’d like to know if you could sing at the president’s Inauguration,’ and I said, ‘Tell me when.’ I was surprised. It’s a great honor and a thrill. It’s hard to beat performing for the president of the United States--Democrat or Republican.”

She shook President Clinton’s hand during Clinton’s second inauguration when he stepped on stage to greet her. The evening’s hit was “Rock Around the Clock.”

In her repertoire of about 5,000 songs, Hempfling performs primarily jazz, big-band and swing tunes, including “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and “I Left My Heart in San Francisco.”

Hempfling is also an actress and landed a small role in “Traffic,” with Michael Douglas and Catherine Zeta-Jones, and in Steven Spielberg’s upcoming “A.I.: Artificial Intelligence.”