JANE MONHEIT (Award-winning Jazz singer & Recording Artist) at Catalina Jazz Club

Come What May, her first album in five years, highlights her fresh takes on first-rate standards, with deft interpretations honed after years on the road. There is a certain comfortability that comes from performing a song night after night to audiences around the world, she says. So by the time we finally got into the studio to make this record, I had the luxury of the arrangements being perfectly familiar, rehearsed, and polished. Putting together this project was a smooth, relaxed process and I think thats reflected in the final product.Monheit has achieved two goals in both making an album that sounds timeless, yet still addressing the current moment...

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Come What May, her first album in five years, highlights her fresh takes on first-rate standards, with deft interpretations honed after years on the road. There is a certain comfortability that comes from performing a song night after night to audiences around the world, she says. So by the time we finally got into the studio to make this record, I had the luxury of the arrangements being perfectly familiar, rehearsed, and polished. Putting together this project was a smooth, relaxed process and I think thats reflected in the final product.Monheit has achieved two goals in both making an album that sounds timeless, yet still addressing the current moment. So much of Come What May is really a way for me to cope with the pandemic in my own personal way, she explains. For example, Lets Take a Walk Around the Block. We would all like to visit the magical places listed in the song, but we dont have any money right now so lets just enjoy where we are. I believe everyone can relate to that idea!Janes lifelong love affair with Brazilian music comes alive with another song about travel, the Antnio Carlos Jobim standard Samba Do Avio, also known as Song of the Jet. Musicians are accustomed to traveling the world non-stop, she comments, and now that were all grounded, it feels very strange. I miss touring so much that I just cant explain. I literally dream of being back on the road!On the flip side of the pandemic experience, the exuberant, feel-good medley of On the Sunny Side of the Street and Get Happy is an opportunity to lift spirits. People stuck at home need a little encouragement and cheer, Jane says, The album has some sad, heavy tunes and I knew we needed to balance those with some levity. That same notion inspired her lighthearted take on the musical theater classic I Believe in You, which opens this collection on a brisk high note.Other selections reflect Monheits adoration of the legendary vocalists that preceded her. Ive worshipped Judy Garland my entire life, but the first version of The Man That Got Away I ever heard was from Ella Fitzgerald. Her interpretation is so matter-of-fact. In my version, I tried to balance Judys glorious drama with Ellas subtlety. This track is an homage to both my heroes. She credits both Ella and Billie Holiday for introducing her to the lesser-known When a Woman Loves a Man. Jane recalls, thats another song Ive adored since I was a tiny kid. I particularly love our recording since it has such a sophisticated and intelligent chart by our musical director Michael Kanan. I think you can tell just by listening how much we enjoy playing together.

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