Jane Monheit

Jane Monheit distinguishes herself as a jazz vocalist whose richly resonant tone and swinging phrasing bring warmth to her readings of standards and timeless pop numbers alongside material rooted in Latin and bossa nova idioms. Shaped in large part by Ella Fitzgerald, she first drew notice in the closing years of the 1990s and has shared stages with Wynton Marsalis, John Pizzarelli, and Christian McBride. Across a succession of acclaimed releases she has placed multiple projects inside the upper ranks of the Billboard Jazz Albums chart, among them 2001’s Come Dream with Me, 2004’s Taking a Chance on Love, and 2010’s Home. Although comfortable in front of a full orchestra, as heard on 2002’s In the Sun, she most frequently leads her compact ensemble, documented on 2021’s Come What May. She merged expansive orchestral colors with sophisticated small-group textures on the 2022 holiday set The Merriest and on the self-titled Jane Monheit issued in 2024.

Born in Oakdale, New York, in 1977, Monheit received early encouragement from her guitarist father and her singing mother. While Ella Fitzgerald remained her principal model, she also absorbed the styles of Judy Garland and Billie Holiday and drew formative inspiration from Broadway scores. Vocal instruction began in childhood, and by her teenage years she was already appearing at local venues. After completing high school she enrolled at the Manhattan School of Music, studying under Peter Eldridge, the noted founder of New York Voices. Still a student, she placed as runner-up in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Institute vocal competition at age twenty. That same year she joined the N-Coded roster and issued her debut collection of standards, Never Never Land.

Monheit earned her degree from the Manhattan School of Music the next year. In 2001 she returned with her second album, Come Dream with Me, which showcased Christian McBride, Tom Harrell, and Kenny Barron and marked her breakthrough by topping the Billboard Jazz Albums chart. In the Sun followed in 2002, showcasing her within opulent arrangements supplied by Alan Broadbent and Vince Mendoza and reaching number five on the jazz tally. The recording also introduced listeners to her drummer and husband, Rick Montalbano, Jr., who has remained a steady collaborator. After guest spots on projects by Terence Blanchard, Tom Harrell, and Mark O’Connor, she again entered the jazz-chart Top Ten with 2004’s Taking a Chance on Love, a romantic outing that reunited her with arranger Mendoza and included a duet with Michael Bublé. The holiday collection The Season appeared in 2005, followed two years later by the ballad-focused Surrender. Her seventh studio album, The Lovers, The Dreamers and Me, arrived in 2009 and juxtaposed a version of the Muppets ballad “The Rainbow Connection” with songs by Paul Simon, Fiona Apple, and Corinne Bailey Rae.

Home, released on Emarcy in 2010, debuted at number five on the jazz chart and featured John Pizzarelli together with her former teacher Peter Eldridge. In 2013 she issued her ninth studio album, Heart of the Matter, produced by Gil Goldstein; the more personal set once more peaked at number five. Subsequent collaborations with pianist David Benoit yielded 2015’s Believe and 2 in Love, after which she paid tribute to her idol on 2016’s The Songbook Sessions: Ella Fitzgerald. Monheit’s tenth studio album, Come What May, appeared in 2021 and spotlighted her longstanding quartet anchored by pianist and musical director Michael Kanan. A year later she released the holiday-themed The Merriest, again with guitarist John Pizzarelli. The eponymous Jane Monheit arrived in 2024, produced by the singer and Rick Montalbano, Jr., and blending standards with bossa nova material while incorporating several orchestral charts performed by the Nashville Recording Orchestra.