CONCERT PREVIEW - Jane Monheit
Jane Monheit moves to the Brazilian beat
Songs from new disc 'Surrender' to be part of Saturday's show
By SALLY VALLONGO
BLADE STAFF WRITER
For a singer, perfect pitch is the equivalent of batting 1.000.
No matter what note on the scale a singer reaches for, those gifted with this astounding capability hit it dead on, every time.
They cannot miss, says neuroscientist Oliver Sacks in his new book, Musicophilia. In a chapter devoted to this genetic capability, he describes those with perfect pitch - sometimes called absolute pitch - as able to hear a C or a B or a G first in their head, then produce it on an instrument. Conversely, upon hearing any note, they can easily identify it.
So you could count Jane Monheit, the New York jazz songstress who will make her Toledo debut Saturday with the Toledo Symphony, as triply blessed.
For not only was this child of a musical family born with her own impressive instrument, a set of vocal pipes with great color and range, plus a talent to match. She also got the perfect pitch gene.
Her rare and marvelous talent package, plus serious study, helped her take first runner-up in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Institute vocal competition at age 20. Since then, she has produced seven albums, earned several Grammy nominations, and had several singles reach No. 1 on the charts.
Although she's kicked back the last six months, as she and her husband, drummer Rick Montalbano, await the birth of their first child, Monheit is looking ahead to next fall, when, she says, another album will be in the works.
But right now, the baby is only a few months away from making his appearance. Monheit and Montalbano, who met at the Manhattan School of Music, are expecting a boy. And they're expecting their son to have perfect pitch. After all, his dad also got the gene.
It runs in her family, Monheit noted from her Upper West Side home last week. There are opera and other professional singers, even banjo players, sprouting off the family tree.
Before she was old enough to dress herself, Monheit saw her life path clearly.
Singing.
She was warbling "Somewhere, Over the Rainbow" around the family's Long Island home by age 2. Belting out songs to entertain guests as a primary school student. Listening to music. Learning songs. Winning all the solos and lead roles in high school choral and musical theater productions.
By the time she moved to the Big Apple to study jazz singing at Manhattan School of Music, she had gained great experience, boasted lots of confidence, and, of course, packed that perfect pitch gift with her music.
But, believe it or not, it was only in college that Monheit finally took voice lessons.
Her parents knew enough to say no, she recalls fondly. "When I was pushing them to do things, take voice lessons, they said, 'No way, honey. First you settle down. Get an education. Get lots of musical training. But no voice lessons until college. If you start with the wrong teacher you could be ruined for life.'•"
At Manhattan, Jane studied with Peter Eldridge, who continues an active role in her musical life. He wrote the title song for her latest album, "Surrender."
Released last year, it's heavy on the Brazilian music Eldridge introduced to Jane during her school years.
"Portuguese is gorgeous to sing in," she says. "It's nice to preserve the original poetry of the tunes." Also on the album are songs by Carlos Jobim and Sergio Mendes - he also performs with Monheit - as well as a memorable version of the Mancini classic, "Moon River."
Monheit promises: "We will do a lot of music from 'Surrender.'•" And, she notes, although she normally sings with orchestras in the recording studio, conducted by her arranger Jorge Callandrelli, "This is going to be my first time playing these arrangements live."
Sporting her baby bump, with hubby Montalbano in the percussion section, Monheit is set to show Toledo her stuff Saturday, backed by the Toledo Symphony, Chelsea Tipton II conducting. The first half of the concert will feature music by Duke Ellington, Cole Porter, Johann Strauss, Jr., and a Shaw Clarinet Concerto featuring Georg Klaas.
Tickets for Jane Monheit with the Toledo Symphony are $25-$65 through the Toledo Symphony, 419-246-8000 or www.toledosymphony.com. The performance is at 8 p.m. Saturday in the Stranahan Theater.
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Contact Sally Vallongo at: svallongo@theblade.com.
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