Vocalist Paul Marinaro, dubbed as having "one of the most beautiful vocal instruments in the business today" by Howard Reich of the Chicago Tribune, has emerged as one of today's most compelling interpreters of song. With a voice described by All About Jazz as "sometimes brash, sometimes tender... an interpretative nuance [that] can speak whole sagas... a true musician," Marinaro is praised for his masterful phrasing, keen jazz-influenced sensibilities and swing, and deep emotional connection to lyric. He brings elegance, wit, and fresh perspective to every performance, making him a favorite with audiences and critics alike.
Since his widely acclaimed 2013 debut Without a Song—a heartfelt album in tribute to his father's unfulfilled dream to be a professional singer—Marinaro has kept Chicago as his home base, enjoying sold-out engagements at the city's most prestigious venues including the Jazz Showcase, The Green Mill, Winter's Jazz Club, and Studio5 Performing Arts Center. Many of his Chicago appearances have been included on various "Best of the Year" lists, including his unforgettable duet with legendary vocalist Sheila Jordan during the 2017 Chicago Jazz Festival at the massive Pritzker Pavilion. Also a featured vocalist with the Chicago Jazz Orchestra, their 2019 performance together recreating Sinatra at the Sands at the historic Studebaker Theater also earned a "Best of the Year" distinction from the Chicago Tribune.
In addition to his frequent collaborations with Sheila Jordan, he has also shared the stage with noteworthy vocalists Carol Sloane and Janis Siegel, and in shows with Chicago vocalists Dee Alexander and Alyssa Allgood. His appearances have graced major festivals and stages worldwide, including multiple appearances at NYC's world-famous Birdland, and Jazz at Lincoln Center, the Rochester Jazz Festival, Copenhagen's famed Jazzhus Montmartre, Premio Penisola Sorrentina in Sorrento, Italy, Konserthuset in Stockholm, Stratford Summer Music Festival, Marion's Room in Bern, Switzerland, the Naniki Music Festival in Barbados, and yearly performances throughout Sicily and Southern Italy—including heartfelt concerts in each of his ancestral hometowns of San Fele, Basilicata, and Sciara, Sicily.
In 2022 and 2023, Marinaro added two large-scale albums to his discography that expanded both his artistic range and critical acclaim. His 2022 release, Not Quite Yet, was a deeply personal journey—a cohesive, narrative-driven statement in which song selection, pacing, and arrangements traced an intimate arc from reflection to renewal. Critics hailed it as "a personal opus" and a masterclass in emotional storytelling through music. The following year, he joined the Metropolitan Jazz Octet for The Bowie Project, a bold, genre-spanning reimagining of David Bowie's music that was praised for its inventive arrangements and Marinaro's chameleonic interpretive skill, further cementing his place among today's most distinctive and fearless vocalists.
Throughout 2025, Marinaro was the featured vocalist for the Oscar Peterson Centennial tribute concerts, which toured throughout Canada and Europe, including memorable stops in Bern, Switzerland, and at the Montreal Jazz Festival.