Local crooner releases new CD

By JAN HOGAN

VIEW STAFF WRITER

He holds the distinction of having said no to Frank Sinatra, but said the late "Chairman of the Board" was gracious about it.

"When I told him I couldn't play his post-show parties, that I needed to go out of town and audition for an important gig, he said it was OK," recalled singer/songwriter Marcus Dagan. "But when he learned I got the new job, he told me I owed him one. Sinatra even tipped me -- generously."

That was in 1991, when Dagan sang at Atlantic City casinos. Now he's releasing his first CD, titled "Old Friends." It contains seven of his own compositions and 15 cover songs.

Dagan is no stranger to music. His parents were musicians and he began playing piano at age 4. He also plays drums and guitar, but it's the piano which has a hold on his heart.

"It's my favorite instrument because I can always find a new way to say things with it," he said. "It's a never-ending exploration."

He's been known to get so engrossed at the keyboard he plays right through his scheduled breaks. But then, Dagan lives for his music.

He recently completed a 16-week engagement at the Eiffel Tower Restaurant at the Paris. He has also played at the original Eiffel Tower in France, where his knowledge of French put him in good standing. The British-born Dagan also speaks Spanish, Greek, Hebrew and Japanese.

The first half of his 25-year career was spent moving around in Europe but soon America called to him and he sang around New York City. In 1980, he spent three months in Las Vegas, playing piano at the Sahara and Dunes hotels, as well as other spots.

His raspy, husky baritone has been compared to Joe Cocker, and his style to Harry Chapen, but he cites Jim Croce, Janis Ian and Leonard Cohen as the performers who helped shape his music.

Dagan, who employed Las Vegas musicians to work on his CD, said he wouldn't change a thing about his newly completed release.

"The songs lean toward the cabaret style," he said, "where the words and delivery are just as important as the melody. It's almost like musical theatre, what I do. I create a musical journey and when I perform, I take 50 or 100 strangers on a journey and leave them happy."

He said tracks on the CD such as "We Live on Borrowed Time," "Passing Through," and "Five Step Tango" -- which has his former wife singing lead -- are emotionally powerful songs.

"Each time I listen to the CD, I'll find little nuances I didn't notice before," he said. "There will be the French horn or something that will catch my attention. It's like (the CD is) new each time."

Dagan's "Old Friends," can be purchased from MarKas Music Production, P.O. Box 531236, Henderson, NV, 89053-1236, and will be available online through www.amazon. com. For more information, visit his Web site at www.marcusdagan.com.