JANE MONHEIT Singer is taking a chance on stardom

She's with Sony Classical for her album, after moving from an independent label.
By TOM MOON
KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS
PHILADELPHIA -- The cover of Jane Monheit's first major-label recording, "Taking a Chance on Love," is a portrait of the brunet singer reclining in a frilly, pink, lingerielike getup. Her arm stretches lazily behind her head and her full lips are moist and parted in a vision of idealized romantic possibility. The look is ingenue, more fashion model than jazz cabaret veteran.
This is what Monheit sees in the photo: an independent woman trying to finesse the tricky business of developing a salable image while retaining a degree of autonomy.
"I love it that I could put a picture of me without any makeup on the cover of my album," the Long Island native said in June.
It's the morning after a Philadelphia club date, and she has just finished work on "Chance," her fourth album, released in late summer. Monheit is raring to talk about her strategy for distinguishing herself from the rapidly expanding class of youthful jazz vocalists.
"Because most [jazz singers] are women, it's become a thing where we've all got to be the youngest and the prettiest. Well, that should have no business in music. It does, I know. [But] that's out of my control. ... I just want to be known as a musician."
Resents beauty trap
She resents what she considers the beauty trap, the expectation that a young female singer should look a certain way and cultivate a certain image. And she delights in debunking the notions people have about her: "People think I'm so serious, but then they hear my cell phone, and the ring is 'Toxic' by Britney Spears. Love that song."
Monheit confesses to being a "girly-girl" and a vegan who reads Us Weekly magazine religiously, loves Bjork and Stevie Wonder, and would rather hang with her band (she's married to her drummer, Rick Montalbano) than party with the swank set.
Only after she has riffed awhile on the judgments people make based on appearance does she acknowledge that being beautiful -- without makeup and in sweats, as she is this day en route to a workout, or in evening wear for a show -- has its advantages.
"I can't deny, I've seen that it helps," she begins. But it's not just about putting on high heels or the dress. ... It's the way those things contribute to the way you feel about yourself, and the ways you can communicate when you feel good.
"In the last few years, I've become aware of balance. You know, how dressed up can you be, how sexy, before you're distracting people from the music."
Heavily promoted
Monheit has had to think about such things lately, because "Taking a Chance on Love" is what many consider her overdue step out of small-label obscurity. After making three records for independent N-Coded Music that received inadequate promotion and distribution, Monheit signed with Sony Classical last year. She immediately began work on the big-budget "Chance," which features her touring rhythm section on some tracks, an all-star rhythm group anchored by Philly bassist Christian McBride on others, and several lavish string arrangements.
Many labels vied for her services, she says, but Sony was willing to give her complete creative control. Sony's clout is paying off: "Somewhere Over the Rainbow" from the CD closes the film "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow." The tune is a Monheit staple: "My grandparents have a tape of me singing it at age 2."
More significantly, Sony is spending more to advertise and promote "Chance" than what it cost to make her first two CDs combined. This aggressive approach, at a time of renewed interest in torch singing and standards, means Monheit's profile will rise. She's ready.