Jazz Articles about Janis Siegel

Janis Siegel: Sketches of Broadway

by Jim Santella
April 5, 2004

Her vibrant tone and spot-on technique place Janis Siegel among the elite in contemporary jazz song. Each performance demonstrates her superior vocal acrobatics.

This collection of Broadway favorites includes glimpses from Annie Get Your Gun, The King and I, My Fair Lady, Oklahoma, Mame, and several others. Siegel interprets each with authority. Her heartfelt anguish over a piece from St. Louis Woman issues forth decisively. There’s little left unspoken. She reminds us, with charming demeanor, of the ...

Janis Siegel: Sketches of Broadway

by C. Michael Bailey
April 4, 2004

Manhattan Transfer singers Janis Siegel and Cheryl Bentyne have been responsible for the most durable recordings in the Telarc Jazz warehouse. To date, Ms. Siegel has released or been included on five Telarc releases: Couldn't be Hotter (with the Manhattan Transfer), Got Swing (with Erich Kunzel and the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra), I Wish You Love , Friday Night Special , and now, Sketches of Broadway.

Departing from Tin Pan Alley and jazz standards, Ms. Siegel has prepared an ...

Janis Seigel: Friday Night Special

by C. Michael Bailey
June 25, 2003

As a founding member of the Manhattan Transfer, Janis Siegel need not prove her jazz credentials. She has been recording as a vocal leader since 1982, when she released Experiment in White on Atlantic. She has released six more recordings since that time, including the well received Tender Trap , I Wish You Love , and now Friday Night Special.

Friday Night Special departs form Ms. Siegel’s earlier recordings in that her band is pared down to the bare essentials—in ...

Janis Siegel: The Tender Trap

by AAJ Staff
January 20, 2003

Not to be confused with lounge singer Janet Seidel, Janis Siegel has framed her volume of the Great American Songbook as an “unabridged" pulp novel. Unfortunately, some of it should have been abridged. The album opens with an over-faded version of “Old Black Magic," skims along the musical waves of “My Ship," gets caught in the title track and then tries a change with a frilly and trilly “Change Partners." However, it is not until the misogynistic blues of “I ...

Janis Siegel: I Wish You Love

by AAJ Staff
January 17, 2003

Having rediscovered her Moxie, the original lady of Manhattan Transfer has opted to take another shot at solo stuff. And though some of it harkens back to her ensemble work, Siegel uses the opportunity to explore a great deal of other avenues. From a coo through Goffin and King’s “Go Away Little Boy" to an absolutely poppin’ chant-along of “I Want You To Be My Baby," Siegel explores a variety of rhythms and moods. She has the competent assistance of ...

Janis Siegel: I Wish You Love

by Dave Nathan
March 1, 2002

Janis Siegel has to be the envy of many singers on today's scene. She commands two performing platforms; one as a member of the popular singing group Manhattan Transfer and the other as a soloist which she has been since 1987. Her latest solo release, this time for the Telarc label, is devoted to songs made popular (or almost popular) by other female performers, not all of whom were singers. She is joined by a top rated trio of Cedar ...

Janis Siegel: The Tender Trap

by Jim Santella
February 1, 2000

The combination of Janis Siegel’s vocal creativity and Fred Hersch’s imaginative supporting arrangements makes this album take off. Recorded in an intimate trio setting with various guest artists, the album lets its stars shine brightly. A gifted pianist, who began playing at the age of four, Hersch has taught at the New England Conservatory of Music and is widely regarded as an exceptionally creative artist. Siegel first sang professionally at the age of 12 and played folk songs on guitar ...