Jane Monheit

Jane Monheit (born November 3, 1977) is an American jazz and pop vocalist. She has collaborated with John Pizzarelli, Michael Bublé, Ivan Lins, Terence Blanchard and Tom Harrell, and has received Grammy nominations for two of her recordings.

Early life

Monheit was born and raised in Oakdale, New York, on Long Island. Her father played banjo and guitar. Her mother sang and played music for her by singers who could also be her teachers, beginning with Ella Fitzgerald. At an early age she was drawn to jazz and Broadway musicals.

She began singing professionally while attending Connetquot High School in Bohemia, New York, from where she graduated in 1995. As a child, Monheit spent her summers as a student at the Usdan Center for the Creative and Performing Arts (now the Usdam Summer Camp for the Arts), and is a recipient of their distinguished alumna award. At the Manhattan School of Music she studied voice under Peter Eldridge; she graduated in 1999, earning a BA in music and receiving the William H. Borden Award for outstanding accomplishment in jazz.

She was runner-up to Teri Thornton in the 1998 vocal competition at the Thelonious Monk Institute of Jazz, in Washington, DC.

Career

When she was 22, she released her first album, Never Never Land (N-Coded, 2000). Like Ella Fitzgerald, she recorded many songs from the Great American Songbook. After recording for five labels, she started her own, Emerald City Records. Its first release was The Songbook Sessions (2016), an homage to Fitzgerald.

She spends most of the year on tour with her band, which includes Michael Kanan on piano, Neal Miner on bass, and Rick Montalbano on drums. She also performs with the major symphonic orchestras throughout the country.

Monheit has also been a featured performer in the nationally televised Christmas at the White House, the Capitol Fourth of July Celebration, and the National Memorial Day Celebration. She has appeared on numerous television shows including Emeril, Ramsey Lewis' Legends of Jazz, Late Show with David Letterman, The View, and The Today Show.

Monheit's vocals were featured in the 2010 film Never Let Me Go for the titular song, written by Luther Dixon, and credited to the fictional Judy Bridgewater.

In 2013, Monheit was a judge and mentor for the Songbook Academy, a summer intensive for high school students operated by the Great American Songbook Foundation and founded by Michael Feinstein. In 2015, Monheit joined the judging panel for The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards and in doing so, helped to assist the careers of upcoming independent artists.

Awards

Nominations

• 2003 - Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s); "Since You've Asked"
• 2005 - Grammy Award for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s); "Dancing in the Dark"

Discography

Guest artist

• Let's Get Lost – Terence Blanchard (Sony, 2001)
• Session #55 – Les Brown & His Band of Renown (Jake, 2001)
• Standard Time – Steve Tyrell (Sony, 2001)
• Brazilian Nights – Jason Miles (Turn Up the Music, 2002)
• Wise Children – Tom Harrell (Bluebird RCA, 2003)
• In Full Swing – Mark O'Connor (Odyssey/Sony Classical, 2003)
• Two Hands Ten Voices – Fred Hersch (Broadway Cares, 2003)
• Enter the Mowo – Adam Dorn (2004)
• 33​¹⁄₃ – The Frank & Joe Show (Frank Vignola and Joe Ascione) (Hyena, 2004)
• 66​²⁄₃ – The Frank & Joe Show (Hyena, 2005)
• Legends of Jazz Showcase with Ramsey Lewis (LRS, 2006)
• New Music from an Old Friend – Various artists (One Eighty, 2007)
• Friends and Family – Ray Brown, Jr. (SRI, 2008)
• Radio Show – Tony DeSare (Telarc, 2009)
• Come Spread Christmas with Me with Sara Gazarek (Palmetto, 2012)
• 2 in Love – with David Benoit (Concord, 2015)
• Believe – with David Benoit (Concord, 2015)
• Afro Blue – with Harold Mabern (Smoke Sessions)