Cool Singers Jazz Music » Jazz Singers In Performance » Jane Monheit at the Brecon Jazz Festival

I saw Jane Monheit in the Theatr Brycheiniog at the Brecon Jazz Festival last night. The theatre is quite small so there was a nice intimate atmosphere. The sound was absolutely sparkling, some of the best sound reproduction I have heard at a live gig. Jane was backed by her classy quartet of Mike Kanan, Piano, Orlando LeFleming, Bass, Miles Okazaki, Guitar, and Rick Montalbano, Drums. Dori Caymmi, from Brazil, was a guest guitarist on one number. The set consisted of fairly familiar songs from the American Broadway/Hollywood tradition like I Won't Dance, Dancing in the Dark, and Bill (from Showboat). The material may have been overly familiar to some of us but it was all beautifully presented and I reminded myself that it would all be completely new to some people. There was just a sprinkling of scat singing, in the first number and the final two. Jane Monheit is the best kind of scat singer - she can do it, but she doesn't (much). We had one Brazilian number for the encore, Waters of March by Jobim. Jane Monheit's microphone technique is a joy to behold, as she sings she seems to be playing the microphone like her own musical instrument. Her emotional input to her performance is intense but always beautifully controlled. In many places I found the show to be quite spellbinding; it was being filmed so I'm looking forward to seeing it on TV.

Here are some pictures of the event.