Jane Monheit Moves to Sony Classical

Singer Jane Monheit (pictured) will release her first album on Sony Classical, Taking a Chance on Love, on September 7, 2004. The album will offer a new recording of “Over the Rainbow,” which will be featured in the upcoming film Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow.

The album is composed of classic jazz standards like “Embraceable You,” “Honeysuckle Rose,” “Love Me or Leave Me,” “Why Can’t You Behave” and “Too Late Now,” as well as the title track.

Taking a Chance on Love boasts several guest artists, including singer Michael Buble on a duet version of “I Won’t Dance,” guitarist Romero Lubambo on “Embraceable You,” pianist Michael Kanan on “Bill” and saxophonists Donald Harrison and Joel Frahm.

Monheit is backed by a variety on musicians throughout the album. Parts of the album feature her quartet, which she performs with in concert and is made up of pianist Kanan, bassist Orlando Le Fleming, drummer Rick Montalbano and guitarist Miles Okazaki. Other parts of the album find Monheit working with a guest band that features pianist Geoffrey Keezer, bassist Christian McBride and drummer Lewis Nash. Three songs are set to orchestras led by three acclaimed conductors-Vince Mendoza on “Dancing in the Dark,” Jorge Calandrelli on “In the Still of the Night” and Alan Broadbent on “Do I Love You.”

The song “Over the Rainbow” will be the end-title song in Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow, a film starring Jude Law, Gwyneth Paltrow and Angelina Jolie that opens September 17. Monheit’s new version of the song was recorded with three members of her quartet and will be offered as a bonus track on Taking a Chance on Love.

After being named first runner up at the 1998 Thelonious Monk Competition in Washington, D.C. at the age of 20, Monheit has gone on to become one of the most popular jazz singers of her generation. Monheit, who cites Ella Fitzgerald as her primary influence, studied jazz at the Manhattan School of Music in New York City, N.Y. and went on to release her debut album, Never Never Land, in 2000. Never Never Land remained on Billboard‘s jazz chart for over a year and was voted Best Recording Debut by the Jazz Journalists Association. The following year, Monheit’s second album, Come Dream With Me, debuted at number one on the Billboard jazz chart. 2002 saw the release of In the Sun, Monheit’s third album. Her previous albums were released on N-Coded.

Taking a Chance on Love is Monheit’s first solo album on Sony Classical, although she has been featured on two previous Sony Classical recordings. She sang as a guest artist on violinist Mark O’Connor’s Hot Swing Trio’s In Full Swing, as well as trumpeter Terence Blanchard’s Grammy-nominated tribute to composer Jimmy McHugh, Let’s Get Lost.

Monheit will be on tour throughout June and July, which includes an extended stint at the Algonquin Hotel in New York, N.Y. and appearances at several jazz festivals.

More information on Monheit and her upcoming release, as well as tour dates, can be found at www.janemonheitmusic.com and www.sonyclassical.com.

Originally Published June 11, 2004