Born in 1977, Jane Monheit is an American jazz and cabaret singer currently residing in Rome, New York, with her drummer husband Rick Montalbano and seven-month old son, Jack. Her career took off after coming first runner-up in the 1998 Thelonious Monk Institute vocal competition. Her two debut releases, Never Never Land (2000) and Come Dream With Me (2001) on N-Coded Records won critical acclaim, while her two later recordings earned her Grammy nominations. Her new release The Lovers, The Dreamers & Me is released this month. 

Which song did you sing at the 1998 Thelonious Monk Competition and what impact did that have on your life?

I sang a whole bunch of songs. First, I had to send in an audition cassette tape. I don’t remember the songs now except More Than You Know. Then, after I qualified, I had to submit a three-song demo for the final round. I submitted Detour Ahead, Lover Come Back To Me, and one other song, which I don’t remember.

The competition had a huge impact on me. For one, it jump-started my career. I met my first record label manager, Joel Dorn of N-Coded Music, at the competition. It was a big beginning for me. It all happened so fast. 

I was in the audience at your 2002 Blues Alley performance in Washington DC, and I remember you sang three songs that absolutely touched my heart: Joni Mitchell’s A Case of You, Tea For Two, and I’m Just a Lucky So & So.

Thank you. I remember that concert very well. Joni Mitchell’s Case is an important song for me, as that was a song from my childhood and I never tire of listening to it. Tea for Two features a dual interaction between me and pianist Michael Kanan. We love that song and still play it from time to time. We later recorded it in my album In The Sun. I’m Just a Lucky So & So is what I call a ‘second set tune.’ We usually play it at the end of our set when people are getting a bit more relaxed and dreamy. Then we hit them with this powerful song. It’s one of those tunes that we’re always on the verge of recording but decide to leave it for the next project. Maybe we’ll record it one day. 

You seem to focus a lot on sound and acoustics. For the Blues Alley performance, you brought your own sound engineer.

Sound is incredibly important to a musical performance. My sound engineer’s name is Lee Ethier. He’s been with us since the Blues Alley gig. He makes it possible to do our thing and have our flair. The band wouldn’t be the same without him. We’re very lucky. 

Tell us about your new album The Lovers, The Dreamers & Me.

It was an interesting project as it was recorded in a weird way – namely, in two different periods. The first half was recorded when I was nine months pregnant – I was quite sentimental at the time and was very much in my comfort zone. I sang mostly standards and was backed by the current band. For the second half of the project, three months after I gave birth to Jack, we had a different set of material and a different band and did mostly half-covers. The musicians were top-notch. It features Gil Goldstein on keyboards and Peter Bernstein on guitar, two of my favourite jazz artists. 

I understand you did a version of Fiona Apple’s Slow Like Honey.

Yes, I am a big fan of Fiona’s. I loved that record when it came out. I was in college and I listened to it every day. I’ve always wanted to cover songs written by artists from my same age group as opposed to dead white guys, even though I love them both.

You also covered the classic Muppets song Rainbow Connection and selected the lines The Lovers, The Dreamers & Me to be your album title.

Yes, Rainbow was a last minute decision, as my son Jack loved it so much. Every time I tucked him in bed I would sing the song for him and he would go to sleep soundly and peacefully. So I wanted to put it on the record as a present for Jack. And as I was trying to find a title for the CD, a friend of mine, Charles Ruggier, said to me, “Let’s call it The Lovers, The Dreamers & Me.” I was like, ‘Oh my Lord! That is the most perfect thing I’ve ever heard,’ because I’m playing these different characters on the record and coming from these different points of view. Every song isn’t about me. So this cast of characters are the lovers, the dreamers and me. Charles is a brilliant cat, and I always go to him for artistic assistance. 

Surrender is still my favourite to date, as we put so much time and poured so much love into it. Lovers was an experiment for me to try new things, although I’d like to have had more control over the project.

I’m so lucky – I get to have a break until after Christmas. This year, I’d like my son’s first Christmas to be extra special. But after that, I’d like to book as many gigs as possible. I love playing at small clubs. I tend to alternate between the serious concert halls and fun jazz houses. Jazz clubs are where the music really belongs. The audience enjoys seeing us up close and personal and watching us relaxed and having fun up there. 

No, but I’m dying to come. I get to travel a lot and see many interesting places, which is the best part of my job. Japan and Brazil are two of my favourite countries to play. Their audiences are unlike anywhere else in the world. My next Japan tour is in spring. Hopefully, I’ll swing by Hong Kong.

Henry Chung is one of the most versatile blues musicians in Hong Kong.