Music Review: Jane Monheit Concert

Greetings All,

I must admit that I have been enjoying having Eastern Kentucky University's new Art Center open as they have offered a fabulous season of performances that will continue through May.  Last fall Christa and I had the opportunity to see BB King through the generosity of my congregation.  It was incredible to experience a living blues legend and see his personality as he interacted with the audience.  A week ago today, we were at another music performance.  This time it was Christa's Christmas present to me and it was orchestra one seats to see Jane Monheit.  She has been performing for over ten years and I have been listening to her for most of those, but this was my first opportunity to experience her in a live performance. 

She is known for her crystal clear renditions of Jazz standards.  Renditions that demonstrate perfect enunciation, incredible vocal control and a true love for the songs she is singing.  If there is a song she is most renowned for it is her rendition of Somewhere Over the Rainbow, but I have equally enjoyed her songs like Bill or her duet with Michael Buble' I Won't Dance.  I was going into this concert with excitement and high expectations.  I had already experienced the concert hall and enjoyed its acoustics and layout, and I was coming in with a knowledge of not only her song base, but Jazz standards in general.  When we first were seated I was a bit surprised to find the stage set for a simple trio; on her albums she generally has the support of a full orchestra or at least more than just a trio of piano, base and drums.  However, I love the simple beauty of a Jazz trio with an exceptional vocalist, so I continued to be excited. 

As the performance began the musicians were fabulous and Jane's vocals stood out.  I smiled thinking this is going to be a great performance and an most wonderful evening, but almost immediately she employed a practice that she seldom uses on her albums, that of skatting, singing without words, which when used occasionally can be a beautiful demonstration of vocal control by an artist.  The first time she did this that proved to be the case, but by the time she had employed it on practically every song and used it as often as real lyrics it became wearisome and began to at least lose this member of the audience. 

A second challenge of the performance for me was her interaction with the audience.  She began by talking about how in 12 years of touring she had never been to Kentucky and felt really welcomed, but that initial offering was tempered and even upended by "playful" comments about the audience's lacking knowledge of Jazz and how if we did not know a particular song or particular composer "she was scared for us."  In the end she came across more as an elitist New Yorker who looks down on everyone else that is not from the Big Apple.  From this I never enjoyed the sense of connection with the performer that I had with BB King.

A third thing that bothered me was when she performed Over the Rainbow.  Again this is the song for which she is most renowned, which has stood out above so many other versions due to her vocal clarity and control.  She opened with a dialogue about how this is the song that she gets to perform at each concert because it is the one the audience always requests.  Duh!  It is what helped make her famous!  She then told us how, since she sang it so often that it became boring, that her and the band would develop new renditions.  She then launched into a "new rendition" that was practically unrecognizable as Jane Monheit singing Over the Rainbow.  Later in the set she also did her "rendition" of Stardust that was unrecognizable.  Had she not told us that she was singing this long revered Jazz standard, I would not have known what it was.  While I realize that artists need to express themselves differently and that they will tire of songs, the problem I have with this is that as an audience of fans we come in with certain expectations that we are right to have.  We should expect the person to perform their iconic song in a manner which lives up to our expectations.  In this case we have paid $45 per ticket to enjoy this performance and while I did enjoy it, I could have enjoyed it so much more if she had made a little effort to meet her audiences' expectations rather than appease her personal boredom with her iconic song and her attempts to force her audience's expectations into the performance box that she has decided to present.

A final observation was that the manner in which she performed and the trio she brought with her was a set that I would expect and truly enjoy in a cabaret or Jazz club, but not when I am in a large concert hall.  The performance did not match the venue and thus it left me as an audience member feeling a little disconnected.  I still love the produced music of Jane Monheit and will continue to enjoy it, but in the future I will be a little more cautious about seeing her live by investigating the band she is bringing to the particular venue and I will go in with the same expectations I bring to seeing the show of a new Jazz artist so that I don't find myself disappointed.  Again, I did enjoy the show and it was an incredible Christmas present from an incredible lady; I just could have enjoyed it a bit more if Ms. Monheit

Your brother in Christ,
Faron