Danny Sinoff stars in Players Circle residency
Danny Sinoff started playing classical piano at age 5 and it didn’t take long for him to graduate beyond Chopsticks.
Today, Sinoff is one of the most sought-after musicians in Southwest Florida, playing at bars and nightclubs nearly every day of the week during season.
Now, Sinoff is in the middle of a residency at the Players Circle Theater, performing every Thursday at 7 p.m., from now until April 1, with each show having a different theme every performance.
“Bob saw me play one of my regular gigs at the Roadhouse for the last 10 years and he watched us intently one night,” Sinoff said. “He came up to us and said he loved what we were doing and he had this performance stage and wanted to have jazz.”
Sinoff, who also sings in his shows, started performing in the fall, but is starting to morph his shows into something else. While it will always have the jazz component, it was decided to have a different theme each week.
Jan. 28 will feature the music of Cole Porter. George and Ira Gershwin will be played on Feb. 4, the music of Rodgers and Hart, featuring “My Funny Valentine” will be on Feb. 11, and Jimmy Van Heusen’s music will be featured on Feb. 18.
“We wanted to celebrate the great American composers and maybe have a Sinatra night, love songs, more obscure tunes, things like that,” Sinoff said. “It will always be jazz-based, though.”
The reaction has been very positive as patrons have come to hear some fine music without the distraction of dinner or other people talking. This isn’t background music.
Robert Cacioppo said he has seen the impact of having Sinoff in the lineup, which has given the club a big city quality musician that people will listen to.
“He could be working the major clubs in New York. His shows are more like a concert. People are listening to him and his great trio and listening to him sing as opposed to eating a pork chop,” Cacioppo said.
Sinoff, who came to Florida in 1992 and currently resides in Fort Myers, primarily plays jazz, which he took up at age 17 when his father got him interested.
“I played clarinet in high school in the marching band and I also did a little classical guitar. I did play piano in the concert band. I also played some electric guitar, bass and drums,” Sinoff said. “I was into Nirvana and Pearl Jam, all the Seattle bands.”
For the past several years, Sinoff and his band have played just about everywhere from Clearwater to Naples, and has also played in the New York City area.
They play regularly at The Roadhouse in Fort Myers, Slates in Cape Coral, and are asked to perform in countless other venues.
However, like many musicians, the pandemic took a huge bite out of Sinoff and his ability to play, seeing his five to six nights per week dwindle down to nothing.
Sinoff said it gave him a chance to work on his playing, as some aspects of his game needed work. It also gave him a chance to relish the excitement of live crowds once he could play again.
“I was really able to work on my piano playing through online resources and discovered a lot of things I thought I knew, but didn’t,” Sinoff said. “It’s a blessing and something I don’t take for granted. We weren’t playing for months and I missed playing in front of an audience,” Sinoff said.
Sinoff’s Thursday performances will be at 7 p.m. Tickets are $15 general admission and $25 VIP.
The Players Circle Theater is located at the Shell Factory, 16554 N. Cleveland Ave. The 200-seat theater has been converted to a 74-seat nightclub.
For more information, call 800-3292 or go online to PlayersCircleTheater.com