Review: Jane Monheit Opens Five-Night Residency at SMOKE Jazz Club

Jane Monheit is a well-regarded jazz singer from Long Island with more than a dozen albums to her credit. At SMOKE, a swanky Upper West Side jazz supper club and bar, Monheit is celebrating 25 years since her first album (Never-Never Land), recorded when she was 22. Broadway World was there for her first of ten sets over five nights. Monheit was accompanied by her longtime pianist, Michael Kanan, bassist Neal Miner, and drummer Joe Strasser.

The first set was completely packed. The couple at the next table, longtime fans of Monheit, were visiting from France. With the trio already playing, Monheit arrived at the stage dressed in a cream gown. The musicians were nattily dressed in traditional suits and ties, especially appropriate for this upscale and beautiful venue.

The set opened with “Please Be Kind” (Saul Chaplin/Sammy Cahn) in a fast swing. Monheit’s opening patter revealed that long before SMOKE existed at this site, she sang at the previous jazz club there, Augie’s, while still a teen. Her voice is good and very fluid. Though she confessed to being a bit nervous, she did much vocal exploration here and on other songs, sometimes letting a little scat through and pulling back, and at other times, letting loose completely.

Monheit slowed things down with a slow ballad, “Detour Ahead” (Herb Ellis, Johnny Frigo and Lou Carter), a song Ella Fitzgerald introduced in 1959. The bluesy, dramatic and torchy arrangement brought out Monheit’s emotional side. Her vibe, when in this kind of emotive groove, is interesting to watch visually.

Some choices were puzzling, like a rhumba rendition of “My Foolish Heart” that seemed at odds with the tone of the lyrics. Still, even here, Monheit loses herself in the song. She scatted the break, exploring riffs, before finding the lyric again. (Speaking of which, at times throughout the set, it was difficult for me to discern the lyrics.)

In a wonderful highlight, the star performed the gorgeous Peter Pan song “Never Never Land” (Jule Styne/Betty Comden and Adolph Green) with just piano accompaniment. On the break, Kanan played a piece of “Pure Imagination” from Willie Wonka & the Chocolate Factory (Leslie Bricusse/Anthony Newley) before returning to “Never Never Land.” It would be interesting to hear a full medley of these songs. There are parts of Monheit’s tone where there are some hints of Streisand in it. At times, her intonation wasn’t on the money in this set, especially in a long and winding phrase, though her overall sound is excellent.

Switching to the kind of “late night jazz” you’d find at Augie’s back in the day, Monheit performed “Save Your Love for Me,” a hit for Nancy Wilson, stating, “It’s pointless after Nancy.” Monheit also revealed that Wilson liked her recording of the song.

“Never Let Me Go” (Jay Livingston/Ray Evans) is a sad torch song that, in Monheit’s hands, will tear you to pieces. Her emotive and dramatic reading here, especially on the rubato intro, was stellar. Frankly, Monheit is at her most compelling on emotional ballads.  She is sensitive, and throws herself fully into the emotion of a lyric. At times, Monheit seemed near tears as she worked herself up emotionally.

Monheit took a complete 180 with “Twisted” (Wardell Gray). This is a vocalese number with scat with at least one quote (“Swingin’ On a Star). On this number, the trio was let loose to play in the yard. The excellent Neal Miner had an outstanding bass solo, lightly scatting to himself as he played, and Kanan and Strasser had a sizzling call and response segment.

A playful “I Wish You Love” (Léo Chauliac/Albert A. Beach) and a fine rendition of “The Waters of March” (Antônio Carlos Jobim) closed out the set, but a true call for encore brought Monheit back for a jazzy “Over the Rainbow” (Harold Arlen/Yip Harburg) that included its rubato verse.

The set was lively and quite good, if slightly short, at 70 minutes including the encore. With six sets remaining, this show is a good bet.

---

For more shows at SMOKE, visit smokejazz.com.

To post a comment, you must register and login.