"The Doors were among the most jazz-influenced rock groups of the 1960s," explains Lanza, who recorded Opening Doors in 2002. "You had a rhythm section comprised of people who had either played jazz at some point, or at least enjoyed it. And then you had a lead singer, Jim Morrison, who liked to improvise. So you had a rock group that had a lot of improvisational qualities. The Doors used some of the modalities and blues forms of jazz."
   On Opening Doors, Lanza is joined by some of the finest jazz musicians in Philly, including trumpeter John Swana, drummer Byron Landham (who regularly plays with organist/trumpeter Joey DeFrancesco) and guitarist Rob Budesa (among others). Orrin Evans, who is primarily a pianist, is heard on Hammond organ.
   But there are no horn players, organists or drummers on An Intimate Portrait in Blue; Lanza's only accompaniment on that album is Philly pianist Jason Long. Because Long is such a lyrical and melodic player, he was perfect for an album as introspective as An Intimate Portrait in Blue.
   If one notices that Lanza's voice sounds a bit rougher than usual on An Intimate Portrait in Blue, it is because he was battling a cold when he recorded the album in 1998. And as Lanza sees it, that cold turned out to be a blessing in disguise. The singer explains: "An Intimate Portrait in Blue isn't meant to be the work of a high school student who got his heart broken for the first time. It's coming from the perspective of a man who has been a loser in the game of love, and someone like that is going to have a rougher edge to his voice."
   Having a cold was the least of Lanza's problems when he recorded An Intimate Portrait in Blue. At the time, he was involved in a troubled marriage that only went from bad to worse--one that eventually ended in Lanza filing for divorce.