From the songs Dennis James chooses to perform, it's evident the Beverly musician is the sentimental sort.
"I'm very romantic, sure," said James, who will play amorous selections from the Great American Songbook at Sixty2 on Wharf restaurant in Salem on Sunday night.
The Dennis James Trio — including Ferdinando Argenti on keyboard and Thomas Hebb on upright, acoustic bass — is likely to perform Cole Porter's "Night and Day," Billie Holiday's "You Go to My Head," Nat King Cole's "Someone to Watch Over Me," Etta Jones' "Don't Go to Strangers" and other standards, such as "Our Love is Here to Stay," "Secret Love," "There is No Greater Love" and "Save the Last Dance for Me."
"I love to have people feel really good when they're listening to that material," said James, who will sing Sunday. "You want to have something that makes (the audience) feel good in their hearts, and, as The Beatles said, 'All You Need is Love,' and I kind of second that motion."
The trio plays the aforementioned song by the Fab Four, as well as "The Long and Winding Road," "Something," "Yesterday" and "Can't Buy Me Love."
"The message within the song is really important to me," said James, adding that he and Argenti — a composer who once worked with Chet Baker — work together to convert the more modern pop numbers into jazz arrangements.
"We kind of put our own twists to them," James said of the newer songs, which include "Don't Let Me Be Lonely Tonight" by James Taylor and "My Cherie Amour" and "You are the Sunshine of my Life," both by Stevie Wonder.
The show will be part of the restaurant's new Sunday Night Jazz Supper Club, according to Jonathan Brackman, general manager.
Doors open at 5 p.m., and the music goes from 6 to 9 p.m.
Next up is Janine Graham, singer and percussionist, who will appear with her trio on Jan. 17; and the Sandi Bedrosian Trio on Jan. 24,
For more information, go to www.62onwharf.com or call 978-744-0062.
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Staff writer Larry Claflin writes his "Music Notes" column regularly. He can be reached at lclaflin@salemnews.com or 978-338-2681.
