Singer With A Heart For Sinatra Makes Hazlet His Home

HAZLET, NJ — Singer Steven Maglio may make his home in the suburbs of Hazlet, but his heart is in the nightclubs of New York, bringing the retro experience of artists such as Sinatra and Bennett to younger audiences in the city.

"Not Just Sinatra" debuted June 21 at The Cutting Room in New York City and was so popular he's back with more performances.

You can catch this Hazlet grandfather at his show Thursday, July 27, and at another show on Aug. 17. The Cutting Room is at 44 E. 32 St. in New York.

The show is conceived for fans of the Frank Sinatra style, especially for those born too late to have heard "Ol’ Blue Eyes" in person.

Harking back to a more glamorous era of New York City nightlife, Maglio stars with a 12-piece big band orchestra performing classic Sinatra songs such as "My Way," "Come Fly With Me," "New York, New York" and classics from other artists such as Bobby Darin's rendition of "Mack The Knife," among others.

And he is planning a special tribute Thursday to the legendary Tony Bennett.

"Tony was the bridge between the swing singers and the jazz singers. I don't think he considered himself either, but he most surely was both. An original gem," Maglio said of Bennett, who died July 21 at age 96.

Maglio came to a full-time career as a singer later in life, at age 43. But he says the songs of Sinatra and others of the era struck a chord with him from his younger days in the Bronx.

He was born in East Harlem and his family moved to the Bronx in 1966. Being the new kid in town, his walks to school were lonely, he says, so he heard a Sinatra tune - "My Kind of Town" - and would sing it to keep himself company on his way to and from school.

He began to explore the singer's other songs on a Sinatra album his parents had at home, "A Man and His Music," and he became a fan.

And he is not only an established singer, he has appeared in movies and has many other professional and personal connections: The Friars Club, The Screen Actors Guild, The Society Of Singers, The Manhattan Association Of Cabarets & Clubs and the National Italian American Foundation.

He's also got a longtime connection to Hazlet, which really isn't that far from the Manhattan nightclub scene.

"I moved my family from the Bronx to Hazlet on Labor Day weekend of 1985. I was 26 years old. I bought a small house that I thought was going to be a starter house, but after raising four children to adulthood, my wife and I are still living in that same house. Almost 38 years later, we’re still happy here," he says.

And that's not his only Shore connection. As a youngster he'd spend summers in Long Branch.

"I spent my childhood summers in a rented house that stood on the grounds where Seven Presidents State Park is today. A four-bedroom house, half block from the beach, 10 weeks a year, $800 in 1960s," he recalled. (A teenage Sinatra himself spent time on the Long Branch beach, meeting future wife Nancy Rose Barbato there, according to sinatra.com.)

When Maglio moved to Hazlet it seemed the perfect choice - as it is for many people even now. It's a close commute to the city but near enough to the Jersey Shore to easily enjoy the beaches and Shore towns.

"I was working in Manhattan in 1985 and wanted to keep my commute under one hour. Hazlet was the first bus stop from Port Authority - 50 minutes. Closest I could get to Long Branch while staying within my time limit. Turned out to be a good choice," he said.

And he said he's a New York guy with deep Jersey roots.

Two of his children still live in Hazlet; another is in Brick and another in Howell. All five grandchildren are New Jersey born, he said.

Over the years he's performed in New Jersey: The Sands and Resorts in Atlantic City, as well as many of the major country clubs. He also had residencies in restaurants in River Edge, Hackensack, Holmdel, Spring Lake, Asbury Park, and Long Beach Island, he said.

So far, all his New Jersey dates for this summer are private events.

So all the more reason to make the pilgrimage to Manhattan this summer and get steeped in the cool Sinatra+ scene. You can get tickets here, and check out more about Maglio on his website.

Maglio is joined in his shows by trombonist-composer-arranger Christopher Rinaman, who will conduct the big band orchestra. The opening act for July 27 is comic Steven Scott. On Aug. 17, comic Mike Marino, also known as "New Jersey’s Bad Boy," opens, according to a spokesperson for Maglio.

Maglio also has performed every Saturday night for the past 18 years at the Carnegie Club cocktail and cigar lounge, where the New York Times referred to his "smooth croon and Rat Pack swagger," Maglio said. The lounge is located at 156 W. 56 St. in New York.

Classic old-school nightclub shows are an endangered species, says Maglio:

“Nightclub shows began right here in New York City, co-existing for a while with those in The Catskills, Miami Beach, and Las Vegas," he said.

But Maglio said the Catskills scene virtually disappeared and Las Vegas and Miami took a turn toward the theatrical. New York went cabaret-style with only a trio accompaniment.

So Maglio is doing his bit to keep the nightclub scene alive and well in the city, he said: "I felt that the time is right to bring back the horns to New York nightclubs."