Jazz Articles

Jane Monheit: Come Dream With Me

by AAJ Staff
January 20, 2003

Though critics have accused her of sticking close to her predecessors and playing it too safe with her material and delivery, Jane Monheit has grown up a lot in one album and is truly ready to spread her wings and take her place among the new generation of jazz vocalists. Disovered by master producer Joel Dorn, Monheit has also caught the ear and attention of legends such as Kenny Barron, Michael Brecker and fellow young lion Christian McBride, all of ...

Jane Monheit: In the Sun

by Roger Crane
December 2, 2002

Poor Jane Monheit. She violates two major commandments of jazz: thou shalt not become popular and thou shalt not be pretty. This combination -- together with her youth -- has evidently created suspicion (and maybe “sour grapes”) in the minds of some jazz fans, critics and even a few musicians. After all, jazz performers must have a daytime gig. Right? Popularity and quality cannot coexist. According to such thinking, since Monheit is a hit in the market place, she must ...

Ann Hampton Callaway: Signature

by Mathew Bahl
April 12, 2002

The gap between Barbra Streisand and Ella Fitzgerald is wide, a fact that Ann Hampton Callaway has no doubt discovered. Ms. Callaway began her career in the early 1980s as a rich-voiced, highly musical cabaret singer with a preference for intensely dramatic ballads. In the mid-90s, she changed directions and embraced vocal jazz. Although some of her early jazz efforts were problematic, in recent years Ms. Callaway’s substance has begun to keep pace with her form, and she has emerged ...

Ann Hampton Callaway: Signature

by Dave Nathan
February 1, 2002

With each release, cabaret singer, Broadway performer and apparently soon to become TV star with her own show on PPBS, Ann Hampton Callaway amazes with her versatility. Becoming even more adventurous than ever on this latest release with a play list that brims with interesting and varied material, from the Vocalese gem, “Twisted", made famous by Annie Ross, to the Louis Armstrong favorite “A Kiss to Build a Dream on" with lots of good stuff in between. On top of ...

Jane Monheit: Come Dream With Me

by John Sharpe
August 1, 2001

If you purchase Come Dream With Me based on the incredible amount of hype singer Jane Monheit’s sophomore effort has generated, you’re bound to be disappointed. While Ms. Monheit certainly possesses the tools necessary to obtain stardom in the modern jazz world – good looks and a flexible voice – she’s a long way from becoming the “next Ella”, as she so clearly aspires to be. I certainly didn’t have a problem with her all-star band -- Kenny Barron (piano), ...

Jane Monheit: Come Dream With Me

by Mathew Bahl
July 1, 2001

Two things should have been obvious to anyone who listened to Jane Monheit’s debut CD, Never Never Land. First, Ms. Monheit, with her lovely crystaline soprano and solid musicianship, was a singer with an abundance of raw talent. Second, given her youth, good looks and conservative repertoire, Ms. Monheit’s commercial success was likely to far outpace her artistic growth.

Unfortunately, judging from her lackluster sophomore CD, Come Dream With Me, Ms. Monheit, or her handlers, have made the mistake of ...

Jane Monheit: Come Dream With Me

by Jim Santella
July 1, 2001

Her clear, expressive voice is ideally suited for dreamy ballads. She swings. Her range is full and she articulates quite flexibly. Accuracy seems to come naturally. Emotion plays a large part in her performance. And she's only 24.

Jane Monheit interprets lyrics. She also surrounds the room with wordless vocals that paint colorful scenery. Backed by Kenny Barron and an all-star line-up, her latest album seems destined for success. Yet, there's a small problem with the performance. It becomes quite ...

Jane Monheit: Never Never Land

by Dave Hughes
September 1, 2000

At just 22 years of age, vocalist Jane Monheit shows that she has a long, promising career ahead. Monheit was the first runner-up in the 1998 Thelonius Monk Institute vocal competition. For her debut on N-coded Music, Never Never Land, Monheit benefits from an impressive all-star accompanying ensemble consisting of Kenny Barron (piano), Ron Carter (bass), and Lewis Nash (drums), with additional contributions from Bucky Pizzarelli (guitar) and Hank Crawford or David “Fathead" Newman (sax).

Monheit's interpretations, as well as ...

Jane Monheit: Never Never Land

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2000

Jane Monheit is a name you're going to hear again...and again...in the future.On her first release, “Never Never Land", the 22-year-old Monheit has lined up some formidable talent, both in musical and production capacities.Musicians? None other than Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Lewis Nash, Bucky Pizzarelli, Hank Crawford and David “Fathead" Newman. As sidemen!Producers? None other than the legendary Joel Dorn, who has recently left 32 Jazz. Or recording engineer Gene Paul, son of the ...

Jane Monheit: Never Never Land

by AAJ Staff
August 1, 2000

Jane Monheit is a name you're going to hear again--and again--in the future.On her first release, “Never Never Land", the 22-year-old Monheit has lined up some formidable talent, both in musical and production capacities.Musicians? None other than Kenny Barron, Ron Carter, Lewis Nash, Bucky Pizzarelli, Hank Crawford and David “Fathead" Newman. As sidemen!Producers? None other than the legendary Joel Dorn, who has recently left 32 Jazz. Or recording engineer Gene Paul, son of the ...