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The best is yet to come, the man said, and for Cataract City crooner Michael Civisca, truer words may never have been spoken.
Just back from a stay in England, where he recorded a landmark new album with the London Philharmonic Orchestra, Civisca currently is on the fly putting the finishing touches on the disc, setting up a major U.S. tour and negotiating a deal that may make his already familiar face even more widely known.
Civisca's trademark renditions of standards such as "That Old Black Magic," "Too Young" and "On the Street Where You Live" have earned him a loyal, worldwide following. His live shows truly are "all ages" events, where those who lived through the big-band era rub elbows with a younger generation, familiar with the material primarily through Civisca's recordings.
After the regional release of his first album, "Collection of Great Standards," in 1997, it was picked up for worldwide distribution by MJJ/Sony Music. For the release of 1999's "Live With the Trio," Civisca formed his own record label, Neptune Music, which also will put out the upcoming "Love is Like a Breeze."
While his previous discs have guaranteed a steady stream of concert hall and supper club gigs around the world--along with what should be hefty royalties from thousands of jukebox plays in night clubs from New York to Los Angeles--"Love Is Like a Breeze" represents a daring departure.
The spare, almost minimal instrumental backing Civisca fans have come to know has given way to the lush sounds of a full orchestra. Producer Charles Calello--who has worked with Frank Sinatra, Barbara Streisand, Ray Charles and many others--also encouraged Civisca to experiment with styles and types of music outside the singer's normal genre.
Newly arranged versions of Bob Dylan's "Things Have Changed" and Tim Hardin's poignant "Reason to Believe" are two of the tracks Civisca said he probably wouldn't have considered previously. Additionally, a number of the songs including the title track were penned by the singer himself.
"This is a different style project," he told the Reporter. "The voice is still right out front, but having the orchestra gives you a lot more freedom. You can take some chances."
Civisca said that freedom led in part to the new disc's eclectic song selection.
"I always want to expand my genre of music, and I had a lot of faith in Charlie Calello to arrange these songs in a way that suited me. It worked out really well."
Calello said the collaboration with Civisca was a natural.
"This is the kind of music I want to do, and Michael's got the voice for it," he said. "Michael's got the voice--I'm here to give him the production."
Although he always has had a passion for music, particularly the big bands and "saloon singers" of yore, Civisca's route to the limelight was circuitous, to say the least. Growing up in Niagara Falls, he played drums and then trumpet, often listening to big-band recordings and figuring out the various parts. It wasn't long before he discovered that his real love was singing.
"I found that singing would make me feel good and that I was singing most of the time--though usually when no one was around," he said.
But it wasn't until he was in his 30s that, with the encouragement of friends and family, he got up the nerve to go out and sing in front of an audience. Well-received gigs at local night spots--including some particularly memorable shows at John's Flaming Hearth--were the springboard Civisca needed to jump to the national, and then international, stage.
"I was up and running," he said. "I haven't looked back."
While many have compared Civisca's style to that of Sinatra, the singer deliberately has shied away from covering too many of the Chairman's big hits. Unlike Harry Connick Jr., Civisca consistently has sought to follow the road less traveled.
"I don't think I could contribute much by just re-singing all the hits from the last generation," he said. "In the vast collection of American songs, there are always a few left behind, fallen through the cracks or overshadowed by other songs that seemed to hit the spotlight first."
And, while Connick will tell anyone who'll listen that he's a "jazz singer," Civisca insists on being taken on his own terms.
"I consider myself a singer, period," he said. "A true jazz singer is someone who will improvise and embellish the melody for the sake of experimentation. For me, it's all about telling the song's story."
Civisca's manager, Rochester-based David Cahn, currently is booking a major tour to coincide with the release of "Love Is Like a Breeze" that will see the singer hooking up with philharmonic orchestras across the country. A Western New York date, however, doesn't seem to be in the cards.
Although he said he'd like to be able to perform more often for the hometown crowd, Civisca said the lack of suitable venues in the area has hampered his efforts.
"There just aren't any jazz or supper clubs like you have in New York City or other places," he said. "In a way, we've had to create them, like with the shows at John's."
Asked whether a casino might lure him and other traditional entertainers back to his hometown, Civisca--who frequently plays in Atlantic City, Las Vegas and other gambling meccas--answered in the affirmative.
"I'd like to see gambling come," he said. "I'm not talking about politics, who's for it or who's against it, because I don't follow that. I just think it would be a great thing for Niagara Falls."
For his upcoming tour, costs associated with playing with a full orchestra will require much larger venues, Civisca said.
"It's tremendously expensive, which is why we're doing places that seat 3,000 to 4,000 people," he said.
The same financial imperatives also result in frequent overseas trips, he added.
"There's a really different attitude around the world. This style of music, jazz, traditional pop, is much more accepted in Europe and Japan, which is why a lot of the top players have gone there to live over the years," he said. "There's a whole culture that revolves around the supper clubs."
While he declined to talk about a rumored television deal ("Let's not even go there," he laughed.), Civisca never is at a loss for words when it comes to his true love--music.
"I'm grateful to have a career that centers on my passion in life," he said. "My main goal is to have a legacy of good music."
And if he never recorded another note, a lot of people would say Civisca already has reached that goal.