Ol’ Blue Eyes is back — but this time, his name is Mike McCaffrey
Frank Sinatra may not be around to serenade fans with his melodic voice, but Mike McCaffrey, the 80-year-old — and blue-eyed — Laguna Beach resident, is picking up where the baritone singer left off.
McCaffrey, the pianist and singer with the Mike McCaffrey Trio, will play the good ol’ songs with guitarist Gil Orr and bassist Frank Schatz on Saturday at No Square Theatre in Laguna Beach.
Along with improvising and spotlighting standards, the self-taught Sinatra aficionado also will perform classics sung by Nat King Cole and share stories and facts about the two musicians between songs.
To hone his encyclopedic knowledge, McCaffrey checked out as many books about the singers as he could find at the Newport Beach Public Library. He said he pored over four books on Cole and 24 on Sinatra.
One fact surprised him. Sinatra, whom McCaffrey named as one the most influential singers in his life, never learned how to read music.
It’s those little-known stories and his passion for music that spurred McCaffrey to create a show centered on two American music icons.
McCaffrey said hearing these classics as a youngster not only led to his admiration for the performers but also inspired his passion for performing.
“When I first heard Nat King Cole, I thought he was exceptional,” McCaffrey said. “And Sinatra, he was the biggest thing with music.”
A Laguna Beach resident for more than 40 years, McCaffrey was born in Glendale, raised in La Canada and educated at UCLA. He started playing the piano when he was 3. McCaffrey’s father had a band and played the saxophone and drums. Today, the father of four and grandfather of five has two grandsons who are musically inclined — one is writing music in Los Angeles, and the other is interested in musical theater.
“There was a musical strain through our family,” he said.
McCaffrey’s self-named trio began 15 years ago after he retired from his career as a public speaker for various corporations. In 1990, the Los Angeles Times profiled him as he hosted seminars for business people and held conferences for youths 16 to 19. He taught effective communication, the necessity of a good self-image, affirmation of goals and development of self-esteem.
It was that goal-setting, coupled with his passion for music, that would fuel McCaffrey’s aspiration to perform the songs he knew so well for an audience.
“Music was inside me,” he said.
The group has performed at jazz festivals in Canada and Idaho and given intimate concerts at the Balboa Bay Resort and the Irvine Barclay Theatre.
But McCaffrey said he hasn’t been on stage in Laguna Beach for about 15 years. A recent trip with his granddaughter to a children’s play at No Square Theatre piqued his interest in the venue. He liked how close the audience sat to the stage.
“I want them to see my face, and I want to see their faces,” he said.
There’s city pride, too.
“I’m glad to be coming to my hometown,” he said. “I can walk to work.”
McCaffrey, who hardly goes two or three days without playing the piano, said he has grouped the concert in three parts, playing an equal number of songs from both artists. He said he can’t pick one favorite song because he has many.
McCaffrey said his joy is bringing the songs of the past to listeners and having them relive memories — happy or sad.
“The songs I do are for them,” McCaffrey said. “I’m going to invite them and have them try to remember places in their life.
“I rely heavily on the audience and their reaction. Sometimes, there’s pauses for cheering and sometimes for tears. I like both.”
If You Go
What: “The Music and Stories of Frank Sinatra and Nat King Cole Performed by the Mike McCaffrey Trio”
When: 7:30 p.m. Saturday
Where: No Square Theatre, Legion Hall, 384 Legion St., Laguna Beach
Cost: $15
Information: (949) 715-0333 or visit nosquare.org