What’s All the Noise About?
Reviving the quiet brilliance of Sinatra and Jobim
Vintage Noise is a Bay Area jazz and bossa nova ensemble rooted in the conversational spirit Frank Sinatra explored in his recordings with Antônio Carlos Jobim in the late 1960s. Those sessions revealed a quieter kind of strength — music built on patience and the subtle connection between voice and band. Vintage Noise approaches that repertoire from the same place: not as revival or impersonation, but as music that still carries weight when it’s allowed to unfold naturally.
Vocalist Michael Carter leads the group with an approach shaped by phrasing and close collaboration with the band. He delivers the material with restraint and lets the music speak for itself. Guitarist and vocalist Ed Johnson brings decades of Brazilian and jazz experience to the harmony and arrangements. Pianist Franz J. Díaz shapes the music from the keyboard with sensitivity and forward motion. Bassist Mike Hallesy provides the foundation, keeping the music grounded and moving without drawing attention away from the song. The result is a dedicated ensemble built on familiarity and feel.
Vintage Noise has appeared at Yoshi’s San Francisco, San Jose Jazz programming at the Fairmont San Jose, Wente Vineyards, Hotel De Anza’s historic Hedley Club, and Levi’s Stadium. The band also maintains a long-running weekly residency at The GrandView in San Jose and performs regularly at wineries and private estates from Healdsburg to Carmel.
As METRO Newspaper wrote:
“If there's a time for crooning to make a resurgence, it's probably now—it’s totally vintage. Latter-day crooner Michael Carter sings in the style of Sinatra. Carter is backed by some great local talent.”
— Stephen Layton
Beyond clubs and concert venues, Vintage Noise performs regularly for nonprofit and community organizations, including Second Harvest of Silicon Valley, Humane Society Silicon Valley, and the Gavilan College Educational Foundation, as well as retirement communities throughout the Bay Area.
Vintage Noise is a sound out of time — and right on time.
The Musicians
