Home » Jazz Articles » Album Review » Jane Monheit: Never Never Land

Jane Monheit: Never Never Land

By Dave Hughes
September 1, 2000
View read count

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 the backgrounds, are seamless (as one would expect for musicians of this stature) but safe. So is the choice of ten well-known standards for the program. Monheit shows that she's long on tone quality and style, but somewhat conservative when it comes to risk-taking and individuality. The samba treatment of "My Foolish Heart" is the most refreshing treatment on the program and is especially enjoyable. Still, a very enjoyable effort overall.

Track Listing

Please Be Kind; Detour Ahead; More Than You Know; Dindi; Save Your Love For Me; Never Let Me Go; My Foolish Heart; I Got It Bad And That Ain't Good; Twisted; Never Never Land.

Personnel

Jane Monheit

vocals

Jane Monheit, vocals; Hank Crawford, alto sax; David "Fathead" Newman, tenor sax; Kenny Barron, piano; Bucky Pizzarelli, guitar; Ron Carter, bass; Lewis Nash, drums.

Album information

Title: Never Never Land | Year Released: 2000 | Record Label: N-Coded Music

PREVIOUS / NEXT

Charles Lloyd: Crossing the Waters W...
< Previous

Passages
Next >

Jane Monheit Concerts

Oct 3 Fri

Jane Monheit

Courtyard Springhill Suites By Marriott, Amelia Island
Amelia Island, FL

Oct 9 Thu

Jane Monheit

Cerritos Center for the Performing Arts
Cerritos, CA

Dec 4 Thu

Jane Monheit - "The Merriest"

Blues Alley
Washington, DC

Dec 4 Thu

Jane Monheit - "The Merriest"

Blues Alley
Washington, DC

Dec 5 Fri

Jane Monheit - "The Merriest"

Blues Alley
Washington, DC

Dec 5 Fri

Jane Monheit - "The Merriest"

Blues Alley
Washington, DC

Dec 7 Sun

Jane Monheit "Holiday Show"

New Orleans Jazz Market
New Orleans, LA

Dec 19 Fri

Jane Monheit

Zlock Performing Arts Center
Newtown, PA

Support All About Jazz

All About Jazz has been a pillar of jazz since 1995, championing it as an art form and, more importantly, supporting the musicians who make it. Our enduring commitment has made "AAJ" one of the most culturally important websites of its kind, read by hundreds of thousands of fans, musicians and industry figures every month.

Go Ad Free!

To maintain our platform while developing new means to foster jazz discovery and connectivity, we need your help. You can become a sustaining member for as little as $20 and in return, we'll immediately hide those pesky ads plus provide access to future articles for a full year. This winning combination vastly improves your AAJ experience and allow us to vigorously build on the pioneering work we first started in 1995. So enjoy an ad-free AAJ experience and help us remain a positive beacon for jazz by making a donation today.