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Performance highlights... |
A native San Franciscan, Duane has a warm, sensuous voice and displays high energy on stage which translates to a crowd pleasing performance. Possessing a rich baritone, he is reminiscent of some of the great male vocalists of the past. He’s versatile, able to croon a smooth ballad, swing with the best and belt out R&B tunes too.
Some career highlights include:
Currently performing with the College of San Mateo Monday Night Band under the direction of trumpeter and educator Mke Galisatus.
For over 13 years, one of the featured vocalists with the 16 piece Contemporary Jazz Orchestra at Jazz at Pearl’s in San Francisco. He started with the band on its very first performance, on the first Monday night in January 1995 and continued as the only vocalist performing with the band every Monday night for the next four years. He’s the featured vocalist on the band’s first recording; Trench Heroes recorded live at Yoshis.
Since 1998 a featured vocalist with the fabulous Full Spectrum Jazz big band, a dedicated of group of musicians based in Silicon Valley performing a “full spectrum” of musical styles from laid back Count Basie swing, to polyrhythmic Latin, to contemporary arrangements by today’s composers. He’s the featured vocalist on two of the band's recordings, Rayna’s Dance and Pursuits. www.fsjazz.com
In the early 1990’s, Duane formed his own group, the Lawrence Expressway Band and for over two years worked with Richard Healy on guitar, Mark Gelfand on keyboards and Ernest carter on drums, belting out soulful R & B tunes as the house band at one of the peninsula’s hottest night spots.
Over 500 performances with the Starlight Orchestra at the historic Starlight Room at the Sir Francis Drake Hotel, entertaining patrons from all over the world.
2 consecutive winter seasons at the the five star resort, The Little Nell Hotel in Aspen Colorado.
From small group jazz, standards and R&B to fronting a big band with his own library of big band charts, Duane is available for bookings. contact: duanelawrence@duanelawrenceonline.com

Big Band Arrangements
Song |
Arranger |
Writer/Composer |
ALL OR NOTHING AT ALL |
NELSON RIDDLE/TRANSCRIPTION |
Jack Lawrence, Arthur Altman (wm) |
ALL THE THINGS YOU ARE |
ROGER HOLMES |
Hammerstein/Jerome Kern |
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE |
LENNIE NIEHAUS |
Alan Jay Lerner/ Frederick Lowe |
ALMOST LIKE BEING IN LOVE |
ADAPTED BY H. CESPEDES FROM GERALD WILSON |
Alan Jay Lerner/ Frederick Lowe |
ALRIGHT, OK, YOU WIN |
SAMMY NESTICO |
Sid Wyche/Mayme Watts |
ANGEL EYES |
MATT HARRIS |
Earl Brent/Matt Dennis |
AS LONG AS YOU'RE GOOD TO ME |
CARROLL COATES |
Caroll Coates |
CAUGHT A TOUCH OF YOUR LOVE |
RICHARD EVANS |
|
CENTERPIECE |
FRANK MANTOOTH |
|
COME RAIN OR COME SHINE |
PAT WILLIAMS |
Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen |
COME SUNDAY |
THAD JONES |
Duke Ellington |
DARN THAT DREAM |
MATT HARRIS |
Eddie de Lange/ Jimmy Van Heusen |
DEEDLE'S BLUES |
FRANK FOSTER |
Frank Foster |
DON`T GET AROUND MUCH ANYMORE |
BOB SECOR |
Bob Russell, Duke Ellington |
EVERY DAY (I HAVE THE BLUES) |
ROGERS HOLMES |
Peter Chatman |
EVERYDAY I HAVE THE BLUES |
BASIE/TRANSCRIPTION |
Peter Chatman |
FLY ME TO THE MOON |
TRANSCRIPTION |
Bart Howard |
FLY ME TO THE MOON |
JOHN LABARBERA |
Bart Howard |
GOIN' TO CHICAGO |
QUINCY JONES |
William "Count" Basie, Jimmy Rushing |
I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU |
TRANSCRIPTION |
Cole Porter |
I GET A KICK OUT OF YOU |
TRANSCRIPTION |
Cole Porter |
I`VE GOT YOU UNDER MY SKIN |
HEFTI |
Cole Porter |
ILL WIND (You're Blowing Me No Good) |
SAMMY NESTICO |
Ted Koehler/ Harold Arlen |
IMAGINATION |
BOB LOWDEN |
Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen |
IN THE EVENING (When The Sun Goes Down) |
FRANK MANTOOTH |
Leroy Carr |
ISN'T IT ROMANTIC |
ADAPTED BY H. CESPEDES FROM GERALD WILSON |
Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers |
IT DON`T MEAN A THING IF IT AIN`T.... |
MATT HARRIS |
Irving Mills/Duke Ellington |
IT HAD TO BE YOU |
PETER BLAIR |
Gus Kahn/Isham Jones |
IT`S ONLY A PAPER MOON |
JERRY NOWAK |
Billy Rose, E. Y. Hartburg/Harold Arlen |
IT’S ALRIGHT WITH ME |
QUINCY JONES/TRANSCRIPTION |
Cole Porter |
LATER FOR LOVE |
JIM DUKEY |
Caroll Coates |
LUSH LIFE |
EDDIE NUCELLI |
Billy Strayhorn |
MACK THE KNIFE |
RICK WALSH |
Marc Blitzstein (english)/Kurt Weill |
MOONLIGHT IN VERMONT |
FRANK MANTOOTH |
John Blackburn/Karl Suessdorf |
MY FUNNY VALENTINE |
BILL LISTON |
Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers |
NEW YORK CITY BLUES |
QUINCY JONES |
|
NICE AND EASY |
ROGER MYERS |
Alan&Marilyn Bergman/Lew Spence |
OH, WHAT A BEAUTIFUL MORNIN' |
TRANSCRIPTION BY ROGERS MYERS |
Oscar Hammerstein/Richard Rodgers |
ONE FOR MONTEREY |
FRANK MANTOOTH |
Caroll Coates |
ONE FOR MY BABY (And One More For The Road) |
FRANK MANTOOTH |
Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen |
ORANGE COLORED SKY |
ROGER HOLMES |
Milton Delugg, Willie Stein (wm) |
POLKA DOTS AND MOONBEAMS |
BOB LOWDEN |
Johnny Burke/Jimmy Van Heusen |
SATIN DOLL |
HOWARD CESPESDES |
Duke Ellington |
SENOR BLUES |
QUINCY JONES |
|
SMACK DAB IN THE MIDDLE |
THAD JONES (TRANSCRIPTION) |
Charles E. Calhoun |
SO MANY STARS |
ADAPTED BY H. CESPEDES |
Alan&Marilyn Bergman/Sergio Mendes |
SOPHISTICATED LADY |
BOB MINTZER |
Mitchell Parish, Irving Mills/Duke Ellington |
TAKE THE A TRAIN |
HOWARD CESPESDES |
Billy Strayhorn |
TEACH ME TONIGHT |
QUINCY JONES/TRANSCRIPTION |
Sammy Cahn/Gene DePaul |
THAT OLD BLACK MAGIC |
BILL LISTON |
Johnny Mercer, Harold Arlen |
THE BEST IS YET TO COME |
QUINCY JONES/TRANSCRIPTION |
Carolyn Leigh/Cy Coleman |
THE BEST OF EVERYTHING |
QUINCY JONES/TRANSCRIPTION |
Sammy Cahn/Alfred Newman |
THE CITY LIGHTS |
JIM DUKEY |
Carroll Coates |
THE LADY IS A TRAMP |
TRANSCRIPTION |
Lorenz Hart/Richard Rodgers |
THE MORE I SEE YOU |
ADAPTED BY H. CESPEDES FROM GERALD WILSON |
Mack Gordon/Harry Warren |
THE SONG IS YOU |
EDDIE NUCELLI |
Oscar Hammerstein/Jerome Kern |
THE SUMMER WIND |
NELSON RIDDLE/TRANSCRIPTION |
Johnny Mercer, Henry Mayer |
THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT |
WAYNE WALLACE |
Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern |
THE WAY YOU LOOK TONIGHT |
ROGERS HOLMES |
Dorothy Fields/Jerome Kern |
THERE IS NO GREATER LOVE |
BILL LISTON |
|
TRAVELIN` BLUES |
DAVE GRUSIN |
|
TUXEDO JUNCTION |
DAVID CAFFEY |
Erkine Hawkins,Julian Dash,Buddy Feyne, William Johnson |
WALKIN` MY BABY BACK HOME |
BILLY MAY |
Roy Turk,Fred Ahlert (wm) |
WHAT A WONDERFUL WORLD |
BILL LISTON |
George Douglas/ George David Weiss |
WHAT ARE YOU DOING THE REST OF YOUR LIFE |
EDDIE NUCELLI |
Alan&Marilyn Bergman/Michel Legrand |
WHEN I FALL IN LOVE |
JERRY NOWAK |
Edward Heyman/ Victor Young |
WHEN SUNNY GETS BLUE |
JERRY NOWAK |
Jack Segal/Marvin Fisher |
WILLOW WEEP FOR ME |
MATT HARRIS |
Ann Ronell |
YOU STEPPED OUT OF A DREAM |
TRANSCRIPTION BY GRAHAM BRUCE |
Gus Kahn/Nacio Herb Brown |
 
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From the mid to the late 1990's I had the honor of performing at the historic Sir Francis Drake Hotel, San Francisco in the Starlight Room with the Starlight Orchestra. Under the direction of Kent Strand, the band featured: Kent, on piano and keyboards, Ron Belcher on bass, Bob Blankenship on drums, Kent Cohea on saxes and flutes, Brad Catania on trumpet and vocals by Daline Jones and me.
Recently I rediscovered a number of live recordings from my time there. I believe they're from performances in August of 1998. I've posted some of those recordings here. I hope you enjoy them:
All Night Long
Close the Door
I've Got You Under My Skin
Love Will Find A Way
Mornin'
My Funny Valentine
Night and Day (out chorus)
Saturday Night (Is The Loneliest Night Of The Week)
The Summer Wind

In the early 1990's R&B band, The Lawrence Expressway Band, was the house band at a night club in downtown San Mateo, Ca. called Giannotti's. The bandmembers: Rich Healy, guitar, Mark Gelfand, keyboards, Ernest Carter, drums and Duane Lawrence, vocals.
In July 1992 one of our fans simply hung a microphone in front of the band to record us. The recording quality is a bit rough but the raw power of the band's performance and the incredible fun we had playing together definitely comes through. I hope you enjoy these:
Ain't Nobody Love Me Better
Born Under A Bad Sign
I Heard It Through The Grapevine
I Still Got The Blues For You
I Wish
Kansas City
Ninety-nine and a Half
Stormy Monday Blues
Superstition
There Must Be A Better World
Tobacco Road
Unchain My Heart
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