Jerry Grillo
Jerry Grillo
Jerry Grillo made a name for himself in Milwaukee as a jazz singer. Since retiring from MPS nearly 30 years ago, Grillo recorded half a dozen albums, including long players with jazz pianist and bandleader Nick Contino. Lately, he’s returned to his original love, Broadway show tunes.
“I was in a lot of shows,” he says, reflecting on the ‘60s and ‘70s when he was a regular with the Milwaukee Players. “I had lead roles in The Fantastics, Cabaret, Company. And I haven’t song any of those songs since then.”
But first, a digression: Earlier this year, Grillo gained local notice for a song about the city where he has lived since the ‘60s, “My Hometown Milwaukee.” It’s a rarity in his repertoire, an original song about a town whose “museum has wrings and so many things.” Mayor Cavalier Johnson proclaimed May 13, 2022 “My Hometown Milwaukee Day” and presented Grillo with a proclamation at City Hall. “I never expected that in my life,” he says. But not to rest on laurels, he decided to go back to live performance and his musical roots.
“I just decided it was time to look back on that part of my life,” Grillo explains. “And I love those songs.”
For his Broadway repertoire, Grillo picked nothing recent but looked to material from those golden mid-century years of West Side Story, Company, My Fair Lady, Carousel, Gypsy, Funny Girl. And like a cabaret singer, he may tell a few stories in between numbers. He’s keeping accompaniment basic for the show he calls “Broadway My Way,” leaning only on pianist John Hefter, a longtime collaborator, and a newcomer to Milwaukee, saxophonist Jeanne Marie. “My voice is surprisingly better than ever,” Grillo says. “Maybe it’s the five COVID shots.”
Grillo will perform “Broadway May Way” at 8 p.m., Friday, January 27 at bar centro, 804 E. Center St. For tickets, visit eventbrite.com/e/jerry-grillos-broadway-my-way-tickets-500185707917.
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