By Terry Perkins
AAJ: You have frequently mentioned both Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan as strong influences on your vocal approach. Are there other musicians - possible even instrumental musicians - who have also had a major influence on you?
JM: Actually, one of my biggest influences is Bill Evans. His piano approach has had an impact on me, especially in things like harmony. And I've also been influenced by a lot of people who are not classified as jazz musicians. Joni Mitchell and also Bonnie Raitt have both been big influences on me. Also, the vocal group, new York Voices.
AAJ: Speaking of New York Voices, a member of that group, Peter Eldridge, was your vocal teacher at the Manhattan School of Music. How did he help you in developing your vocal approach?
JM: He's actually the only voice teacher I've ever had. The wonderful things about Peter: number one, he's so incredibly versatile as far as music goes. And given the diversity of my musical background that definitely helped me. Number two, throughout our lessons, which spanned four years, he never once tried to force me to do anything his way. His style of teaching is very different from that kind of approach. He really works with his students to help them find their own best voice - one that comes from inside of them. He's amazing.
AAJ: Your second place finish in the 1998 Thelonious Monk competition turned out to be a major break in your career. What was the impetus for you to enter that competition?
JM: Actually, Peter was the one who mentioned it to me. I didn't really know what the Monk competition was. It was a last minute thing. The deadline was coming up, and he said to me, "You know, Jane, this would be a really good thing for you." And so we made the demo tape at the last minute, sent it in, and the rest is history.
AAJ: It most have been a very exciting experience, but also a little nerve-wracking, to sing in front of judges like Dee Dee Bridgewater, Dianne Reeves, Joe Williams, Nneena Freelon and Diana Krall.
JM: I'd never been in the presence of people like that before, when they were accessible and I could talk to them. I was just so amazed to be in the same room with them and with people like Wayne Shorter. It was very exciting, but I really wasn't very nervous at the time, which I still think is almost miraculous when I look back at it.
AAJ: After the competition, you were signed to a recording contract and your debut release, Never Never Land, was a major success. Was that immediate success surprising to you?
JM: I was surprised. I thought at the beginning that I'll just make the record, my family will buy it, I'll do some gigs around the States and it'll be fun. That would have been enough for me. And then to have all this happen, it's really such a thrill for me because I've wanted to do this my entire life.
AAJ: Because of that sudden initial success, and the increasing popularity you've gained from your second recording, have you felt any pressure to keep topping those achievements?
JM: No, I don't worry about that. Music is the kind of thing that if you're doing what you really want as a musician, and doing what makes you happy, that's enough. As long as you're doing music that's not influenced by other people's opinions and that remains true to you, the results will be good - at least in your own eyes. And as an artist, you have to be happy with yourself before you worry if other people are happy with what you're doing.
AAJ: It often seems that when a musician achieves sudden, popular success - especially in jazz -- they often face skepticism from the press. Some critics have compared you unfavorably to great singers like Ella Fitzgerald that you have acknowledged as influences. Does that kind of criticism bother you?
JM: It doesn't bother me at all. As far as comparisons, nothing new comes along that exists solely on its own. It's always compared to things that have come before. Because we like to organize things into nice, neat little categories. And there's another reason I don't mind it. The singers I've been compared to are singers that I've loved forever. I find it very flattering.
AAJ: You're touring in Japan. Who is in your band - and could you talk a little bit about the musicians?
JM: On piano I have Michael Kanan. He's probably best known as being singer Jimmy Scott's accompanist for the past few years. Michael is an unbelievably elegant musician. Every note is so incredibly tasteful and perfectly placed. It's a pretty amazing thing to have him in the band.
On bass is Joe Martin, another wonderful musician from New York. He really isn't too well known yet, but it's only a matter of time because he's definitely coming into his own and can really play.
Rick Montalbano is my drummer and I've known him since college. As a vocalist, it's very hard to find a drummer to work with who is going to be sensitive to what you're doing, and is not just going to bash away and overpower the vocals. Rick will genuinely listen to what you're singing and look to find a way to make the overall sound even better.
And on sax I have Joel Frahm. He has a couple of albums as a leader out on the Palmetto label. Joel is another musician like Michael. It seems like everything he plays is perfect for the song. There's no excess and no nonsense ever. Every note is beautifully presented.
I've been working with these musicians in various combinations for several years in New York. I would love to record with this band, but I'm not sure when it's going to happen.
AAJ: Speaking of recording, do you have any plans yet for your third release?
JM: Right now, we're planning on recording next Spring, with a release date of September in the U.S. We're just starting to plan for it now, so we don't have any songs picked out yet. And as far as instrumentation, I'm not sure exactly, but I have a pretty good feeling a lot of it is going to be bigger. I love recording and being in the studio. To me, it's like having a little musical vacation.
AAJ: One of your majors in college was composition. Do you still do much songwriting?
JM: I used to write a lot of music, but I haven't done much in the last year or so because I've been so busy. But I do like writing, although I haven't chosen to use any of my songs on recordings in this phase of my career. It's probably because my songs don't really fit in with the types of standards I've been doing. My songs tend to be influenced by the folk and pop music I listened to while I was growing up.
