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Bernie Meisinger , Jazz Vocalist - Singing songs from the Great American Songbook

Watch TV or go to the movies and chances are you'll hear the captivating voice of Bernie Meisinger (pronounced MY-singer). Bernie has lent his considerable writing and vocal talents to a list of original tunes that have been used in HBO's "Sex and the City", Sony Pictures' "Urban Legend", and the hit CBS series "J.A.G."!

Disney Pictures' "Sorority Boys" and 20th Century Fox's "Anywhere but Here" (starring Susan Sarandon) also credit songs performed by the singer. Original numbers, including "Sweet Bossa" and "Tips", were chosen for the Academy Award-winning film "John", independently produced by J.B. Sugar and directed by Marni Banack. Meisinger's smooth baritone voice is also heard on television and radio ads for Ringling Brothers' Circus. There is even a reference to Bernie in "Swingers", the hit motion picture depicting life in Hollywood for several struggling actors and writers.

How does it happen that a young man from Central Pennsylvania moves to Los Angeles with a few hundred dollars to his name and becomes the touchstone for nostalgic jazz standards, garnering comparisons to Frank Sinatra and Tony Bennett? Simply put, Bernie cites his "love and respect for the music, and determination to succeed in a fickle business". Meisinger celebrates the timeless classics of the great American songbook, singing the works of Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and the Gershwins, among others.

His youth was spent listening and learning from bebop performances from the likes of Dizzy Gillespie, Miles Davis, and Charlie Parker. As a teenager, he met vibraphone virtuoso Lionel Hampton behind a concert hall where "Hamp" was about to play. They exchanged a few words and Bernie was asked to sing a verse of "Sunny Side of the Street". When he finished, Lionel said, "You have a Dick Haymes kind of style to your voice, real big!" A highly respected singer, Haymes replaced Frank Sinatra when he left the orchestras of Harry James and Tommy Dorsey. At that moment, with youth and wild abandon for encouragement, Meisinger began plotting his own career as a singer. In the years that followed, he's shown himself to be a uniquely talented and dedicated entertainer and songwriter.

Television and movies aren't the only places to hear Bernie. Visit the observation decks of the Sears Tower in Chicago and you'll catch a recording of him singing the praises of the windy city in the song "Chicago". Also, listen for the most significant new voice in jazz on KLAC Fabulous 570 AM in Los Angeles, where Bernie is a semi-finalist in the "Fabulous Finds" competition.

Meisinger's commanding club performances have captured the attention of music lovers throughout North America. Performing at well-known venues in his home city of Los Angeles, he thrills audiences with his warm, confident style. When he's not singing in his stamping grounds of greater Los Angeles, he participates in several jazz festivals a year to keep himself busy.

Over the years, Bernie has performed in top-notch jazz clubs, legendary restaurants and hotels, corporate events, and private parties of the rich and famous. He's also opened at concerts for several big-name musicians, including Blondie, Joe Sample, and Crash Test Dummies, as well as jazz festivals and public events like the Phoenix Open and the Tournament of Roses Parade.

Distinguished, but not stuffy, Bernie's songs add a classic, easygoing vibe to big and small rooms alike. By staying true to the music, Bernie and his trio of seasoned professionals simultaneously appeal to older audiences, who heard these songs the first time around, and the younger martini crowd as well.