KCET_article

Ten Minutes with....Jazzy Chanteuse

ESTELLE REINER

Interivew by Kyle Roderick

Appeared in KCET Magazine January 1988 Issue

"I've always known I could sing," says Estelle Reiner. "But I never saw myself as an entertainer. They're a special breed."

This woman knows a thing or two about show business: for the past forty-four years, she has been married to film and television comedy creator Carl Reiner. "Somewhere in my sixties," she says, keeping her exact age a secret, "I realized it was now or never. So I began studying singing and acting, and started doing dates in tiny clubs."

Five years and scores of gigs later, Estelle Reiner is a seasoned jazz singer with ninety songs in her repetoire and one record album, "Just in Time," to her credit. She performs around the Los Angeles area at such venues as Perrino's, the Gardenia and Le Cafe. "My husband alway encouraged me to sing," she laughs, "and now, he's my roadie."

Reiner traces her love of jazz music back to the music she heard while growing up in New York City. "Musicians like Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith moved me the most," she explains. "Their songs are filled with suffering and powerful emotions, but some of them are also very funny." Indeed. Singing Bessie Smith's "Lock and Key," Reiner grins as she tells her no-good man that she's going to beat him up, kick him out, lock her door and make him return the new suit of clothes she bought him.

"My approach to a song is a strong, interpretive effort," Reiner says. "I'm not a shouter --I like to build an intimate relationship with the audience. I love it when they get rowdy and yell at me when I sing something they like." Accompanied by a piano and bass, Reiner's act also included such classic tunes as "My Old Flame," "I Remember You," and "Just a Gigolo."

While she regrets not starting her night club career earlier, Reiner explains that "as a young woman, I was anxious to get married and do what my mother did." And she's certainly proud of the results from that decision. Her multi-talented children are film director/producer/actor Rob, poet/writer/painter Annie and painter/writer Lucas. "They come to hear me sing quite a bit," she says with pride. "And it's really flattering when they bring loads of people."

A long time resident of Beverly Hills, Reiner has noticed a deterioration in the quality of life there since her children were in school, as luxury boutiques have commandeered Rodeo Drive and neighboring streets. "All the supermarkets in the area disappeared because the rents got so high," she says, "and so did Newberry's, where the kids went after school to hang around the soda fountain. A kid can't afford to hang out or buy anything in Beverly Hills anymore, and this is a form of deprivation that affects all of us."

While her neighborhood may be in relative decline, Estelle Reiner the chanteuse is definitely in full bloom. "My life is very exciting now," she beams. "I get the most tremendous kick out of singing, because at long last, I'm doing what I love."

Appeared in "KCET Magazine"
Article Date: January 1988

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	Ten Minutes with....Jazzy Chanteuse ESTELLE REINER Interivew by Kyle Roderick Appeared in KCET Magazine January 1988 Issue "I've always known I could sing," says Estelle Reiner. "But I never saw myself as an entertainer. They're a special breed." This woman knows a thing or two about show business: for the past forty-four years, she has been married to film and television comedy creator Carl Reiner. "Somewhere in my sixties," she says, keeping her exact age a secret, "I realized it was now or never. So I began studying singing and acting, and started doing dates in tiny clubs." Five years and scores of gigs later, Estelle Reiner is a seasoned jazz singer with ninety songs in her repetoire and one record album, "Just in Time," to her credit. She performs around the Los Angeles area at such venues as Perrino's, the Gardenia and Le Cafe. "My husband alway encouraged me to sing," she laughs, "and now, he's my roadie." Reiner traces her love of jazz music back to the music she heard while growing up in New York City. "Musicians like Billie Holiday and Bessie Smith moved me the most," she explains. "Their songs are filled with suffering and powerful emotions, but some of them are also very funny." Indeed. Singing Bessie Smith's "Lock and Key," Reiner grins as she tells her no-good man that she's going to beat him up, kick him out, lock her door and make him return the new suit of clothes she bought him. "My approach to a song is a strong, interpretive effort," Reiner says. "I'm not a shouter --I like to build an intimate relationship with the audience. I love it when they get rowdy and yell at me when I sing something they like." Accompanied by a piano and bass, Reiner's act also included such classic tunes as "My Old Flame," "I Remember You," and "Just a Gigolo." While she regrets not starting her night club career earlier, Reiner explains that "as a young woman, I was anxious to get married and do what my mother did." And she's certainly proud of the results from that decision. Her multi-talented children are film director/producer/actor Rob, poet/writer/painter Annie and painter/writer Lucas. "They come to hear me sing quite a bit," she says with pride. "And it's really flattering when they bring loads of people." A long time resident of Beverly Hills, Reiner has noticed a deterioration in the quality of life there since her children were in school, as luxury boutiques have commandeered Rodeo Drive and neighboring streets. "All the supermarkets in the area disappeared because the rents got so high," she says, "and so did Newberry's, where the kids went after school to hang around the soda fountain. A kid can't afford to hang out or buy anything in Beverly Hills anymore, and this is a form of deprivation that affects all of us." While her neighborhood may be in relative decline, Estelle Reiner the chanteuse is definitely in full bloom. "My life is very exciting now," she beams. "I get the most tremendous kick out of singing, because at long last, I'm doing what I love."

	Appeared in "KCET Magazine" Article Date: January 1988 Return to List of Articles