Jazz Singer Wakes Entertains at Trattoria Farfalla

Guests savored a meal on the Trattoria Farfalla patio at the Encino Marketplace while enjoying critically acclaimed singer Eddie Wakes’ rich jazz sounds last Thursday. Wakes will be performing at Trattoria Farfalla every Thursday night this month.

Wakes' style of jazz combines the classics of singers such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin and Sammy Davis, Jr., along with Nat King Cole and Johnny Hartman with a contemporary flair.

Born and raised in Topeka, KS, with eight brothers, Wakes grew up singing in church.

“My father was a pastor,” he said. “My parents were deeply steeped in music.”

He gravitated toward jazz in high school, “because something about the sound resonated with me. I thought the music was timeless. It was a meshing of the jazz vibe and my voice. I was naturally fit for it.”

Wakes’ musical heritage has influenced his vast talent as a writer, composer, and velvet vocalist. He’s shared the stage alongside music luminaries such as Diana Krall, Sarah McLachlan, Elvis Costello, Stevie Wonder and B.B. King.

“I think jazz is the foundation of the great American form," he said. "Every genre has elements in the greatness of jazz.”

Described by Academy Award winner Morgan Freeman as “a new evocative voice,” Wakes recently finished touring with the Walt Disney production of The Lion King.

A Burbank resident, Wakes said that jazz should be maintained as America’s classic form, and he feels that he’s “kind of the ‘keeper of the flame.’ ”

“I feel a connection with a time in America’s past and I try to bring that elegance to my performances," he said. "Jazz is so much an expression of who we are.”

Eddie Wakes performs at Trattoria Farfalla, 16403 Ventura Blvd., on successive Thursdays: Aug. 11, 18 and 25, 7-10 p.m. No cover charge; reservations are recommended.