Now, local listeners get to hear Monheit in a different format, and with even greater maturity. Monheit will be featured with the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra as part of their SuperPops series, Friday and Saturday, Nov. 20-21, at the Schuster Center.
These concerts will feature Monheit singing some of her signature tunes with orchestral accompaniment, as well as with a small combo. DPO will also play a few orchestral selections, including music by George Gershwin and music from the musical “Chicago.”
DPO assistant conductor Patrick Reynolds will be at the podium, and he’s excited about the music that Monheit and the orchestra will create together.
“I know that from listening to the recordings that she’s released that her arrangements are very warm, sumptuous and rich, so they lend themselves well to a symphonic setting,” Reynolds says. “I think it must be a treat for her to actually have a full orchestra behind her.”
Monheit, 32, seems to have turned a corner in her career. Her recent release, “The Lovers, The Dreamers, and Me” (Concord 2009) shows Monheit more confidant than ever in technique, and shows a greater diversity of emotions in her repertoire and interpretations. Reynolds is looking forward to the interplay between Monheit and the orchestra, noting that sensitivity is a strength of the DPO.
“That’s the nature of being a professional musician — we have a wide range of music that we have to play,” says Reynolds, who has recently led the DPO in music of ABBA, a Verdi opera, and classical chamber music. “Music requires you to change yourself to be the kind of musician that it needs you to be. The DPO is great for this ... the kind of musicians that are in this area are very experienced professionals.”
Monheit, known for her renditions of timeless American popular songs, will perform classics such as “Moon River,” “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea” and “Cheek to Cheek.”
“The encore is a classic,” says Reynolds, excited but careful not to give away the secret. “It is a very special tune, it’s one that she’s recorded and she’s famous for.”
Reynolds knows fans of Monheit — and of the Great American Songbook — will be thrilled with how the singer works her magic in a setting different from that of her usual cozy club appearances.
“One of the challenges for a singer like this — and something that sets Jane Monheit apart — is that it’s intimate music in a large setting,” Reynolds says. “I anticipate she has a wonderful ability to create an intimate concert experience in a room as large as the Schuster Center.”
How to go
What: Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra National City SuperPops Series presents The Jazz Artistry of Jane Monheit
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21
Where: Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, One West Second St., Dayton, at the corner of Second and Main streets
More information: www.daytonphilharmonic.com or (888) 228-3630
The Jazz Artistry of Jane Monheit
When: 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 20, and Saturday, Nov. 21
Where: Benjamin and Marian Schuster Performing Arts Center, One West Second St., Dayton, at the corner of Second and Main streets
More information: www.daytonphilharmonic.com or (888) 228-3630
Matt Warner is a contributing writer on music for the Dayton Daily News. He can be reached by e-mail at warner.matt@me.com. Jazzbeat appears every Sunday.
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