Monte Procopio grew up with a love for the music of the all-time great singers,
Frank Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat King Cole and others. Today he showcases a tradition
of wonderful music from the classic songs of the old masters to the smash hits of their contemporary counterparts.
Monte had always performed for his family and friends and as a young man decided to make entertaining his career. The first step Monte took towards his lifelong dream of becoming an entertainer was to organize and book his own band. One of his first professional engagements was the 1985 Miss Arizona-USA Beauty Pageant. Shortly after that, Monte began working at numerous nightclubs, resorts, and private events. After a four-year run as the headliner at the JW Marriott Camelback Inn in Scottsdale, AZ, he was booked to perform with the legendary Carol Channing at ASU’s Sundome Center for the Performing Arts. Monte received rave revues for his performance and since then has performed with Vikki Carr, Alan King, Phyllis Diller, and others.
In 2002, Monte received The Arizona Republic’s “Rep’s Best” award for Best Male Vocalist and shortly after began planning the production of his first album which would eventually be titled “Swingin’ With Style”. During this planning stage Monte had the very good fortune of meeting Emmy and BMI award winning music producer Clarke Rigsby owner of Tempest Recording, and together they embarked on the creative journey to make a Big Band vocal record. Recorded with a 13-piece band, the concept behind "Swingin’ With Style" was to present some of America’s best-loved songs in a classic swing band format using new arrangements that represent Monte’s energized approach to the music. Monte released "Swingin’ With Style" in February 2004 under his own independent label and it was very well received. It was consistently ranked in the Top 100 for Independent Jazz releases on Amazon.com for over 2 years and because of its sales success Monte was solicited by an Asian label/distributor to sign an international licensing deal which would eventually make "Swingin’ With Style" available for purchase throughout the Asian basin.
Following the success of “Swingin’ With Style” it was apparent to Monte that he must get back in the studio and record a follow up album. With Clarke Rigsby and his wonderful production skills already in place, Monte wanted to make this new project truly special and to do this he knew exactly what he needed, a world-class arranger. Following a suggestion from Clarke, Monte met with Grammy Award winning arranger Bob Freedman and was able to get Bob to sign on to the project. After assembling an outstanding line up of musicians for the recording sessions, and with all the pieces in place, Monte, Clarke, and Bob proceeded to record Monte’s latest album which is titled “A Swingin’ Time”. Like Monte’s first album, the songs for “A Swingin’ Time” were arranged for a 13 piece band, the difference is that all of the arrangements are very unique and have been arranged so that the band is featured as an ensemble on nearly every track.
“A Swingin’ Time” includes 14 timeless songs from the Great American Song Book such as "All Or Nothing At All", "The Very Thought Of You","That Old Black Magic", "Fly Me To The Moon", "Route 66", and "Night And Day", to name a few. Also included is an introduction by James Gavin, the author of Deep in a Dream: The Long Night of Chet Baker. “A Swingin’ Time” is an outstanding sophomore effort for Monte and an excellent choice for music lovers everywhere.
From the beginning, Monte has been determined to share his passion for the great music of the past with audiences everywhere. Each and every performance is filled with an enthusiasm and intensity that reawakens these classic songs and allows them to shine once more. Whenever you see the name "Monte Procopio" on the marquee you can be sure of one thing, your going to get everything he's got!