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"I don't do anything but act myself. I think
that's why people like what I do when I sing
-because they see me in it. They don't see somebody
trying to be grand --or even good! It took me a long
time but I've gotten to a point where I can really be
myself and...there's nothing more interesting than a
person who reveals them self. No matter what you
are, it's very interesting to see that happen. I think
that's why people like to hear me sing, " Reiner said
recently about the success of her career as a popular vocalist and recording
artist, and
it's hard to disagree with the lady who's built an enduring career and loyal
following on the
qualities of originality and interpretation she brings to a song.
Though the musical flight of Reiner's career took skyward in the midst
of her sixties, she
had previously spent a lifetime of stringent listening to the records of Billie
Holiday, Bessie
Smith and Anita O'Day, consistently exposing her musical ear to the jazz and
blues music she
first heard while growing up in New York City. Recalled Reiner,"When I was a
teenager, I
used to go to Harlem and hear the musicians...it was so different, so exciting.
I just responded
to that music and it became a part of me." With a natural ear for harmony and
a voice
schooled on the recordings of the great jazz singers, Reiner trained herself
in private while
being primarily regarded as a mother and wife. "I've always known that I could
sing," she
asserts, "but I never saw myself as an entertainer."
Reiner's earliest endeavor as an artist came by way of paintbrush. From
behind an easel,
works of art both Modernistic and Abstract in style first drew public attention to
the gift of her
artistic nature. Though several exhibits confirmed Reiner's artistic ability,
she was not
content to maintain an artistic identity as a painter. "I knew I had music ability,"
Reiner
remembers, "but I never thought of pursuing it because I always felt 'to be up
there you have
to be very special,' and maybe I didn't think of myself as special."
Film goers got to know Reiner as an actress before anybody knew she was
a singer.
Though foremost a vocalist today, Reiner credits her discovery as a performer
to friend Ann
Bancroft. "She saw something in me that she loved." Cast in Bancroft's directorial
film debut,
"Fatso" (1980), Reiner played the supporting role of Mrs. Goodman. " It was
so great because
it was the first job I ever had that wasn't in my house." Subsequent film appearances
included
husband Carl's "The Man With Two Brains (1983), " Mel Brooks' "To Be or Not to
Be" and of
course, most famously in son Rob's movie "When Harry Met Sally (1989)," as the
older woman
customer in the orgasm scene who says, 'I'll have what she' s having." In retrospect,
Reiner
believes that acting gave her the courage to pursue her real love: singing.
"At age 65 I decided that if I'm going to be a singer, I have to do everything
it takes to be a
singer --no matter what comes up." Reiner studied with vocal coaches and sang
first in
showcases as part of larger programs before embarking on her own full length
show. Of her
first concert, noted Jazz critic Leonard Feather attended and reviewed it for
the L.A. Times
recalling the 'bittersweet timbre" of her voice like "honey laced with vinegar."
Feather wrote
that Reiner's voice revealed "qualities that many a seasoned pro would envy."
He went on to
praise the "authenticity and conviction" of "an artist who had been honing her
craft for
decades. In view of her background it is extraordinary." Indeed, Reiner's emergence
as a
working/recording jazz singer had only begun to flourish after the age of 65.
Working in the studio and in concert with longtime musical director, co-producer
and
pianist Tom Garvin, Reiner has released an impressive seven full length CDs
thus far. She has
played on both the East Coast and West Coast at such reputable music venues as
Luna Park,
The Jazz Bakery,Vine St. Bar & Grill, Catalina Jazz Club and The Cinegrill.
Today, the
Gardenia Restaurant and Lounge in Hollywood is her preferred stage.
Like the selections on her CDs, Reiner's live performances are memorable
musical evenings
filled with a perfect balance of the obscure and the luminous, the haunting
and the humorous.
Whether vintage jazz songs. classics, or current favorites, "Estelle Reiner has
that rare quality
of unique artists - the ability to create her own interpretation of a song,"
as composer/author
Jack Riley wrote of her. One of the most popular parts of the live performances
include her self
accompaniment on ukulele, an instrument that harkens back to her days as a teenager
on
Rockaway Beach in New York. It is always a clever highlight to an otherwise
classy,
sassy evening of song. "I never repeat a program. Each show is something different.
It's always
work but I love doing it," Reiner reflects, "In a way it would have been great
if I could have
been a performer earlier, but I'm glad the way it turned out because if I had
started earlier I
wouldn't be singing now. Now I still have the interest to do it. It's so wonderful
at my age to
have something important that you do. I'm doing what I love."
With seven CDs available and a busy concert itinerary, Estelle Reiner continues
to perform live and make music into the millennium!
Biography by David Ybarra Return to Main Menu