When she was just 20 years old, New York based evocalist Jane Monheit was the first runner-up in the 1998 Theolonius Monk Institute vocal competition, winning a $10,000 scholarship to further her musical education. At the time, the judges couldn't exactly place her sound, which blended natural grace, elegance and charm with an emotionally powerful yet impressively controlled presentation, and within a few years Monheit had joined Diana Krall as one of the highest-touted female talents in jazz.
Her stated goal with this latest recording—her second on Concord after 2007’s Surrender, which debuted at #1 on the Billboard Jazz Chart—was to do something different, by “choosing songs that meant a lot to me in many different ways and from a wide range of songwriters and genres—from female artists my age to celebrated legends.”
While the beautifully subtle pop/jazz vocalist has been one of the great old souls of music since launching her career ten years ago, she celebrated the significant chronological milestone of passing 30 while making this graceful and exquisite album, which was produced by veteran jazz producer Matt Pierson (Kirk Whalum, George Duke, Yellowjackets). Beyond that, Monheit also celebrates her new motherhood to son Jack, and that's what inspired the inclusion of the always welcome "Rainbow Connection"; she sings the charming song -- and its lyrics that inspired the name of the recording -- to Jack all the time. At home, however, it doesn't have the exquisite Gil Goldstein accordion touch that makes this one of the best renditions ever.
Goldstein arranged many of the tracks, but one of the most exciting jazzy turns, Monheit's swinging, swaggering "Get Out of Town," was done by pianist Michael Kanan, who was part of the ensemble that recorded half of these tracks while the singer was still pregnant. In many ways, then, this 13-track collection is a chronicle of the singer pre- and post-motherhood -- and all something that Jack will be proud of as he grows older. As always, the key to a great interpreter's project is the choice of material, and Monheit makes interesting picks, ranging from a wistful take on Paul Simon's "I Do It for Your Love" to Fiona Apple's dark and haunting "Slow Like Honey" and Corinne Bailey Rae's "Like a Star." She also mines her traditional comfort zone with songs by Cole Porter, Jimmy Dorsey, and Leonard Bernstein, but taps into even richer emotions with Ivan Lins' "Acaso" and the bubbling samba "A Primeira Vez."
Overall, it’s another triumphant set, no matter what side of 30 or motherhood Monheit is on!www.janemonheitonline.com
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