Frank DiSalvo Celebrates The Start of His 6th Year At Indian Wells Resort Hotel in Indian Wells, CA

Everyone's friend and favorite Desert entertainer, Frank DeSalvo is starting his 6th year of performing at Frank's Place in The Indian Wells Resort Hotel.  It's been a wonderful ride for both Frank and the thousands of people who have come to see and hear him perform.  Frank has never stopped improving his show filling it with great vocals from Frank and tons of memories of the entertainers who have crossed our paths in the past 50 years.  Frank tells stories about his and our favorite singers starting with Sinatra, Martin and Sammy Davis and then moving to Darin, Como and Nat King Cole. Frank interspaces his music with comedy and stories about his personal life with impeccable timing.  The reception Frank gets from his audience is remarkable;  they love every minute of his show.  And why not, Frank is a moving dynamo on stage.  Take a good look at the photos above and I think you can almost feel the emotion that he generates on stage.  He has never taken his audience for granted.  He always starts his show exactly on time and never stops during his 3 hours except for one small intermission during which Frank spends his time talking to every table in the room.  His formula of entertainment has been a booming success.  Tonight was a Thursday and Frank had more than 100 people filling the room.  He sells out Fridays and Saturdays even though the Hotel has brought in several additional tables positioned in part of the front lobby.

Frank's voice has become stronger and deeper over the past 5 years that I have been listening to him, and he has developed a wonderful, relaxed style that captivates his audiences.  Frank performs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel and I highly recommend his show to anyone that loves live entertainment that is just not available in many venues today.  You must make reservations as his shows are always filled!

I have attached a YouTube of Frank singing "Luck Be A Lady" Live with the Ted Herman Big Band for your listening enjoyment.

Frank DiSalvo Still Thrilling Audiences at The Indian Wells Hotel Resort

January 18, 2015 will mark the 4th anniversary of Frank DiSalvo's arrival at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel.  Let's take a look at what Frank has accomplished over these past 4 years.  Before Frank started performing at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel, there was no live entertainment of any kind.  When Frank started his gig at the Hotel, he wasn't as well-known as he is today.  I first met Frank when he came into Backstreet Bistro one evening when I was there listening to their Tuesday night Jazz series.  Frank asked to sit in with the quartet and sing a song or two.  He sounded pretty good, but I was most amazed in the amount of confidence he had.  After Frank finished singing, he passed out some of his cards listing his gig at the Hotel.  I was curious about him and decided to go to the Hotel to hear him sing.  The first thing I learned about Frank that night was that he is not just a singer, Frank is an entertainer in every sense of the word.  His audiences the first few months were nothing to write home about but that never stopped Frank.  Even if there was one person in the audience, Frank would do his 3 hour show with gusto!  I've heard that every time Frank opens the door of his refrigerator at home and the inside light goes on, he does 20 minutes of songs.  Frank DiSalvo is a wonderful entertainer but more important, he is a sincere and caring person.  By the time Frank's first season at the Hotel was over, he was drawing a large and very loyal following.  Frank was responsible for his own public relations and he has done an outstanding job.  In four short years, Frank DiSalvo has become "The Entertainer of the Desert".  Frank quickly expanded his performance from one night to four.  But Frank didn't stop here.  He was personally responsible for booking over 40 musicians into the Hotel, and as a result there is now live music at the Indian Wells Hotel 7 nights per week. 

Frank is never happy with the status quo and is constantly adding new material to his show.  This year's show now includes new songs, new stories and even a new comedy segment.  His show is like a musical history course that takes the audience through the songs and performers of the 40's, 50's, 60's, 70's and 80's.  Frank takes us from early Sinatra, Martin, Sammy and Nat Cole through Elvis, B.B. King and even Peter, Paul and Mary.  Tonight he did songs from The Lettermen and Johnny Cash.  Some people who have never seen Frank's show think he is just a Sinatra impersonator.  Nothing could be further from reality.  Frank, of course, loves Sinatra as we all do but Frank has a wonderful strong voice that stands on its own.  In addition, he is not just a singer, he puts on what might be described as a Las Vegas lounge act doing all the different parts himself.  He has worked incredibility hard over the past 4 years to improve his singing and entertaining skills and now is at the top of his game.  Frank performs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  He also sings on Sunday with the Ted Herman Big Band from 6:00 PM to 9:00 PM.  Seeing his new show is a must, and you should put it on the top of your "To Do" list and bring your friends and family.  Dinner is served during Frank's show, and the food is excellent as is the service.  Please call for a reservation as many of Frank's shows are sold out especially on Friday and Saturday.

For those who have never seen Frank's show or heard him sing, I have attached a "YouTube" that will give you an idea of what his show is all about.

CD Review: Frank DiSalvo "All Things Are Possible for Those Who Believe"

Over the past few years Frank DiSalvo has quickly become one of the most popular and loved entertainers performing in the Coachella Valley. When I first played this CD, I was surprised by the great arrangements but not by the outstanding singing. Frank has always been a great voice, but I think the quality of his singing on this CD is exceptionally good. In spite of the huge amount of success and following Frank has developed, he has never stopped working to improve his trade. The sounds on this CD prove that all of Frank's efforts have brought him to a much higher level as a singer.

"All Things Are Possible for Those Who Believe" is a "feel good" CD that is guaranteed to lift your spirits and appeal to your patriotism! The songs represent Frank's personality and his beliefs and the spirit within these songs is contagious. I have to admit that after years of following Frank's career, it is so satisfying to see the development of his singing skills. Frank has always been a talented performer, but the release of this CD proves that he has truly arrived as a major league singer!

If you would like to buy a copy, just go to Frank's website: frankdisalvo.com and send Frank an email and he will give you the details.

              Song List
1. "You Raise Me Up"
2. "Wind Beneath My Wings"
3. "The Prayer"
4. "The Impossible Dream"
5. "Wonderful World"
6. "Hallelujah"
7. "God Bless The USA"
8. "Liberty"
9. "I Come Back To You Again"
10. "Heartlight"

Frank DiSalvo

                                                   

I think the pictures posted above should tell you a lot about the Frank DiSalvo Show at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. Frank DiSalvo is a performing dynamo who sings, plays guitar, tells great stories about the Sinatra era singers and even tells jokes.  All in a night's work for Frank. Frank simply loves to perform and perform he does on Thursday, Friday and Saturday nights at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. I have seen Frank perform many times but he never fails to surprise me with his talent and high energy. Because of his sincere love to sing and perform, Frank has won the hearts of many Valley residents and has developed the largest and most loyal fan base in the Desert.  His shows are always packed gaining more new fans every week.  I have done three blog reviews of Frank's show over the past three years and blogs about Frank DiSalvo are always my most requested.  Over the past four years that Music Man Blog has been published, all three of Frank's reviews are in the top 10 most popular blogs on my site.

From my perspective, there are a couple of reasons why Frank and his show are so popular.  First, Frank is an extremely talented singer who loves to sing "The Music Of Your Life". The songs that a lot of the residents in the Valley grew up with. He covers Sinatra, Martin, Sammy, Elvis, Nat King Cole and Bobby Darin just to mention a few. He always covers the best singers and songs of the 70's, 80's and 90's right up to the present time. Second, there is no one around today that puts on a show like Frank where people can sit back and rediscover their musical memories. Third, Frank is a most sincere and kind individual always looking to help someone in need. He is real and a quality individual.

Besides performing his show 3 nights a week, Frank also sings in the big band that performs every Sunday night at the Resort.  This band plays the charts from the big bands we loved bringing them back to life.

If you have not seen Frank's show, you must make plans to get over to Indian Wells to see for yourself what I am talking about. You will leave his show re-charged with a smile on your face and a song in your heart! Take a listen to the YouTube of Frank singing with the Ted Herman Big Band.    

                                                                                             

Frank DiSalvo Plays to a Packed House in the Indians Wells Resort Hotel

Frank DiSalvo 

Frank DiSalvo

Capacity Crowd at Indian Wells Resort Hotel Enjoying Frank DiSalvo

Frank DiSalvo along with Ron Kalina Playing the great standard, "The Very Thought  of You"

Frank DiSalvo only arrived in the Desert two years ago. He arrived without family or friends or a job. But Frank had a strong belief that he could find a singing  job and become a musical success.  He started sitting in with any live music group that would let him sing and leaving his promo kit in every place in town that had live music.
Finally, he got a call from Dave Nichols, the CEO of the Indian Wells Resort Hotel who asked Frank to stop by.  Dave had listened to Frank sing by way of the promo kit Frank had dropped off at the front desk of the hotel. The rest is now musical history.  Frank started singing at the Hotel the next week and began drawing people in to hear him each week as word spread in the Valley about Frank's great show.

Fast forward two years and Frank now performs every Thursday, Friday and Saturday to packed houses and rave reviews from all of the Valley entertainment critics.

Frank is much more than just a great singer/performer.  Frank is a very caring and sincere person who is never too busy to help another musician.  As soon as Frank got the job at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel, he started encouraged Dave Nichols to add more live music.  Frank began to introduce some of the best musicians he knew to Dave who had such faith in Frank that he agreed to add more live entertainment one night at a time and give them a chance to prove they could draw music lovers into the hotel.  As a result of Frank's efforts and Dave's willingness to take a chance, the Hotel has live music six nights a week.  Not everyone is aware that Frank DiSalvo is greatly responsible for securing over 30 jobs for wonderfully-talented musicians in in the Valley. Without question, Frank DiSalvo is one of the "Good Guys" of live music, and I personally would like to thank Frank for all his efforts on behalf of all of us who love live music.

As you can see, tonight's show was in front of a packed house and Frank was at his very best.  His songs include dozens of the best songs of Sinatra, Darin, Nat King Cole, Neil Diamond, Matt Monroe and Tony Bennett just to name a few.  He also played some great guitar while singing songs made famous by B.B. King, Glenn Campbell and Johnny Cash. 

The great Harmonica player, Ron Kalina was in the audience tonight, and Frank asked him to come up to play a song with him.  They played an outstanding duet of the classic, "The Very Thought of You" that received a standing ovation.  If you have not heard Ron Kalina play, you can hear his trio every Tuesday night at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel.

Ron Kalina Still Impressing Large Audience At Frank's Place In Indian Wells Resort Hotel

Ron Kalina

Judy Wolman and Ron Kalina

Larry Holloway, Ron Kalina, Gino Antonacia and Frank DiSalvo

Ken Steele, Ron Kalina and Gino Antonacia. Does anyone know those three guys in the background?

Larry Holloway, Carole Hampton Ron Kalina and Gino Antonacia

Rose Kingsley, Judy Wolman and Gino Antonacia

Ron Kalina's "Harmonica Convergence" continues to draw large crowds from all over the Valley on Tuesday nights at Frank's Place in the Indian Wells Resort Hotel.  And it's no wonder, hearing Ron play Harmonica at levels few have ever reached is only part of the performance.  Ron also plays songs on Keyboard from the Great American Songbook as good as anyone. Believe it not, Ron sometimes plays Harmonica and Keyboard at the same time. There is no doubt that Ron Kalina is one of the best living Harmonica players in the country.  What also surprises his audience is that Ron is an excellent singer.  So he is a triple threat, plays Harmonica and Keyboard and sings!

I love the sound of great songs being played on the Harmonica and Ron only choices the best of the best classic American standards to play.  Tonight, Ron asked Judy Wolman who was in the audience to come up and play keyboard for Ron while he played "My Funny Valentine"on Harmonica.  Together they made wonderful music for all of us.  This classic played by every great musician from the beginning of time never sounded better!

Part of the fun of live Jazz in the Desert is no matter where you go, you are sure to be surprised by someone in the audience stepping up to the mike to sit in with the band. Tonight was no exception as the Desert favorite Ken Steele was called up by Ron to sing a couple of songs.  Ken has a wonderfully soft and glorious voice and a smooth style that always leaves the listener wanting to hear more. Right after Ken performed, another Desert favorite, Carole Hampton stepped up to sing a couple of her signature songs to the great delight of the audience.  Carole has been under the weather for a while but it is clear from her performance tonight that she is back in her groove again! At the end of the evening, Rose Kingsley stepped up to the mike and sang for us. I just met Rose this evening and was so glad I got to hear her sing. Rose is the Artistic Director/Founder of the International Opera Institute.  I look forward to hearing Rose sing some classical songs from Operas in the near future.              

Quite a display of talent in Frank's Place tonight but the icing on the cake was when the "Captain" of Frank's Place, Frank DiSalvo joined the group playing guitar and then singing a couple of songs with Ron's trio. Not everyone knows it, but Frank is largely responsible for getting the live music explosion started at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel. Frank, I would like to personally thank you on behalf of all of the great musicians here in the Valley for working selflessly to provide more venues for live jazz here in the Desert!

Ron Kalina's Trio appears every Tuesday from 6:00 to 9:00 at Frank's Place. Be sure to catch this wonderful musical experience and call Manny at 760-340-6466 ext. 7584 for reservations.

Frank Di Salvo Sings Sinatra And The Great American Songbook

On February 17, I had the opportunity to see Frank Di Salvo his "Frank and the Sinatra Show" at the Indian Wells Resort Hotel.  I tried to go to this show with an open mind because as a devoted Sinatra fan, I have been disappointed so many times by performers trying to imitate Sinatra. What I found at the Frank Di Salvo show was an excellent performer with a strong clear voice who did an outstanding job singing not only a lot of Sinatra signature songs but also many other great songs out of the "Great American Songbook".  The title of this show was "Frank and the Sinatra Show" but this title does no justice to the great singing that I heard.  Frank brings his own style and strong voice to the Sinatra songbook, but Frank's singing talent is not just limited to Sinatra songs.

Frank sang the Sinatra classics with ease and did a particularly outstanding job on Paul Anka's great song "My Way" that he dedicated to his late father. He also received a strong audience response to the Guys and Dolls favorite, "Luck Be a Lady Tonight".

I was very impressed with Frank's renditions of "Mack the Knife",  the Rodgers & Hart tune from "Pal Joey", "I Could Write a Book" and the Joe Bushkin & John DeVries  great song "Look At Me Now". Frank is a relative new comer to the desert arriving here only 6 months ago.  But I have a feeling, listening to him that Frank feels like he is really at home here.  He is a welcome addition to the talented group of musicians that call the California Desert their home.  At the end of the 2nd set, Frank called up a friend of his, Marc Koltun who sang a couple of Johnny Hartman songs that were just wonderful.  I learned Marc has not performed in 20 years, but you would never know it. Hope Marc continues to sing, he has a really great voice and feel for great lyrics.

Frank will be performing at the Indian Wells Hotel on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.  In addition, you can go to Frank's web site: "Frankdisalvo.com" to see where Frank will be performing.  Make sure you call for reservations because the word is already out that Frank is an act that should not be missed.