Jane Stuart
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"IAJE Blue Chip Award "Best Jazz Vocals" 2007"

Jane Stuart awarded the very prestigious Blue Chip Award for "Best Jazz Vocals" given by The International Association of Jazz Educators - International Association of Jazz Educators


""Her style is solid, honest, straightforward,.. she makes each song very much her own"."

Some jazz singers attempt to manipulate the audience with wild arrangements or odd backup groups to give the feeling of 'something new and exciting' about jazz. Jane Stuart discards those unnecessary trappings and simply sings with a style so secure that everything falls into place. - Grady Harp for Amazon.com


""Jane Stuart has all the attributes of a real jazz singer and she utilizes them all""

Jane Stuart has all the attributes of a real jazz singer and she utilizes them all in this fine album. The musicians are all first class, and that's as it should be on a recording of this caliber. "Wheelers And Dealers" Dave Frishberg penned this tune and Jane Stuart interprets it magnificently. "Let It Come To You" Is an original by Stuart. This track is an introspective look into the soul of Jane Stuart. The lyrics are beautiful and sung with the depth of musical soul searching. "Summertime" This old chestnut is given new life in this version and Jane Stuart lends a personal touch that works brilliantly. Dick Oatts strong alto soliloquy is brief but compelling. The jazz world is a better place because of this recording. It has all the attributes that will make even the casual listener take notice. - Jazzreview.com John Gilbert


""Jane Stuart has all the attributes of a real jazz singer and she utilizes them all""

Jane Stuart has all the attributes of a real jazz singer and she utilizes them all in this fine album. The musicians are all first class, and that's as it should be on a recording of this caliber. "Wheelers And Dealers" Dave Frishberg penned this tune and Jane Stuart interprets it magnificently. "Let It Come To You" Is an original by Stuart. This track is an introspective look into the soul of Jane Stuart. The lyrics are beautiful and sung with the depth of musical soul searching. "Summertime" This old chestnut is given new life in this version and Jane Stuart lends a personal touch that works brilliantly. Dick Oatts strong alto soliloquy is brief but compelling. The jazz world is a better place because of this recording. It has all the attributes that will make even the casual listener take notice. - Jazzreview.com John Gilbert


"" She is a knockout, a rare treat and an absolute sensation""

From the opening track’s impact, she is a knock out, a rare treat and an absolute sensation, who grabs the whole of each tune, extracts its essence and negotiates it into a moving story of human interfaces. She instantly communicates via her seductive individualized sound and articulation of lyric. Born to sing as a “musicians’ singer”, she invites her listeners into her passion of flaming fire to toasty warmth and from purrs and whispers to shouts and wails. - Dr. Herb Wong renowned jazz writer/reviewer


""Jane Stuart is as complete a jazz singer as they come"."

Jane Stuart is as complete a jazz singer as they come. With the timing of a tap dancer, the emotive responsiveness of a stage performer, a voice for the ages, and the experience to put it all together into one unified whole. While Stuart provides plenty of room for her soloists to take off, she still remains the star of her own show: delivering solid swing on “I Just Found Out About Love”; showing she crafts tender melodies with the utmost care (”You Are There”) and adds just the right amount of steam to the oft-tackled “Summertime.” With an album like Don't Look Back under her belt, vocalist Jane Stuart can surely look forward to more, well-deserved attention in the future.
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- All About Jazz – Dan Bilawsky


"All Music Guide"

she's been a major force in New York for years as a singer and actress.......
While jazz vocal aficionados were trumpeting in 2007 about Patti Austin's Avant-Gershwin, this lesser known but still New York-based singer--whose soulful timbre at times is reminiscent of Austin's gentler side--recorded a set of impeccably arranged tunes from The Great American Songbook and beyond. While this slyly swinging collection marks Stuart's debut, she's been a major force in New York for years as a singer and actress; has backed famous artists like Barry Manilow; and has done hundreds of commercial jingles, at one point in a group with Austin, Valerie Simpson and Shawn Colvin. She seduces the listener immediately with her lively, finger snap-worthy take on Duke Ellington's "I'm Beginning To See The Light," tugs the heart on the exotic and moody "Out Of This World" and glides through "For All We Know" in a delightfully breezy two minutes. Perhaps the only thing she is better at than creating vibrant new interpretations is in choosing the diverse set list itself; she turns "Getting To Know You" into a joyful romance as effortlessly as she forges coolly percussive, soul-jazz territory on Stevie Wonder's "Visions" and tackles the sassy blues with "Moanin'." Beyond the brilliant horn arrangements by Stuart and co-producer Rave Tesar, the singer's debut is also notable for some powerhouse jazz playing by her support system, including Tesar on piano, Vinnie Cutro on trumpet and bassists Sue Williams and Kermit Driscoll. True to its title, this album is the essence of contemporary jazz illumination - Jonathan Widran


"ejazznews.com 5 Stars"

For those who like legitimate jazz singers this recording will knock
your socks off. She's the real deal in a world of 'jazzettes'
This is a hot album from start to finish. Stuart is a splendid singer with
a true sense of jazz (a rare commodity)….This writer is a great admirer of singers like Nancy Kelly and Anita O'Day and I am pleased to say that Jane Stuart ranks right up there with them

- John Gilbert


"NJ Jazz Society"

Stuart's singing reflects the extensive experience that she has had vocalizing with a host of top jazz players throughout her extensive and varied career. I found that both her phrasing and her voice found a happy home in my ears. "Beginning to See the Light" certainly shines the light on a vocalist who will find many new fans with this release.

- Joe Lang


"Newark Star Ledger"

...she brings veracity and vigor to a range of songs...

This is Jersey-based singer Jane Stuart's debut CD, and it's a welcome addition to the jazz vocal library. A vocalist with a rich voice, relaxed rhythmic sense and pliable lyric delivery, she brings veracity and vigor to a range of songs. Her accompanists -- among them keyboardist Rave Tesar, bassists Sue Williams and Kermit Driscoll and drummer Rick De Kovessey -- give her consistently assured support. "Out of This World" has an enticing, low-key Latin bent; a beat Stuart gingerly plays with. "For All We Know," with just Tesar, is a sublime ballad; so is "Angel Eyes." The evergreen "I Thought About You" is done at a medium groove, and gives Williams room to tell her story. There are several vocalese, among them Miles Davis' "Four" and Bobby Timmons' "Moanin'," both with crafty words by Jon Hendricks, which Stuart offers with zest. Ellington's title track is another easy-on-the-ear swinger - Zan Stewart


"allaboutjazz.com"

...solid jazz singing...

Jazz vocalist Jane Stuart's debut, Beginning to See the Light, could be a big success for unexpected reasons. The thirteen tracks are presented by a singer who knows how to swing them properly. This album could potentially attract a non-jazz audience: about half of the material consists of fairly well-known standards from the Great American Songbook.. a sure-footed presentation. Stuart is accompanied by a fine ensemble. ….Stuart shows her jazz chops on the Jon Hendricks lyrics to Miles Davis' “Four” Likewise, she approaches one of the most important works in the Hendricks oeuvre, Bobby Timmons' “Moanin, to good effect. “Centerpiece,” with Hendricks' lyrics, features
solid jazz singing. Stuart also has the presence to resurrect”Through A Long And Sleepless Night,” which at one time was presented by John Coltrane.


- Michael P. Gladstone


"talkinbroadway.com"

..Jane sounds vibrant...

I'm beginning to appreciate its more subtle artfulness, after several listens, to Beginning to See the Light,"It Might As Well Be Spring" has lots of interesting things going on and a touch of the disquieting feeling the lyric explores. The same songwriters give her another standout: A free, unrestrained approach to The King and I's "Getting to Know You"... has the lighter, looser touch it's been given in recordings from Nancy Wilson long ago...Jane sounds vibrant, and bites into the lyrics on this brisk and invigorating selection. The Harold Arlen/ Johnny Mercer classic "Out Of This World" is luxurious and exploratory.
Jane and jazz are a good match. She doesn't shy away from some more challenging pieces ("Four," "Visions"), she scats a bit and is not reluctant to bend a note or toy with tempo. "For All We Know" shows Jane with the skill and sensibility to convey real emotion... . I'd like to hear more where that came from, too. Jane's website details some of her career highlights. - Rob Talkin'Broadway


"Newark Star Ledger"

...she brings veracity and vigor to a range of songs...

This is Jersey-based singer Jane Stuart's debut CD, and it's a welcome addition to the jazz vocal library. A vocalist with a rich voice, relaxed rhythmic sense and pliable lyric delivery, she brings veracity and vigor to a range of songs. Her accompanists -- among them keyboardist Rave Tesar, bassists Sue Williams and Kermit Driscoll and drummer Rick De Kovessey -- give her consistently assured support. "Out of This World" has an enticing, low-key Latin bent; a beat Stuart gingerly plays with. "For All We Know," with just Tesar, is a sublime ballad; so is "Angel Eyes." The evergreen "I Thought About You" is done at a medium groove, and gives Williams room to tell her story. There are several vocalese, among them Miles Davis' "Four" and Bobby Timmons' "Moanin'," both with crafty words by Jon Hendricks, which Stuart offers with zest. Ellington's title track is another easy-on-the-ear swinger - Zan Stewart


"O's Place Jazz Newsletter"

CD Review: O's Notes: While Stuart has been singing professionally for a while, this is her first recording as a leader. Jane's voice is well paired with these standards and her band steps up to further enhance the experience. The crisp brass solos on "Moanin'" and Kermit Driscoll's bass solo on "Through A Long And Sleepless Night" are examples. . She sings confidently from the bossa on "It Might As Well Be Spring" then swinging on "Getting To Know You" to the romance of "Angel Eyes". We think Stuart will be back in the studio soon!

--
- D. Oscar Groomes


"INTERVIEW WITH KARL STOBER"


Seeing the Light

Between Sets with Jane Stuart

“My mother took me to a Broadway show when I was about seven years old. I remember very vividly the moment I looked at the performance that I could do that! I can and will do it. That was the start.” From the Moser Starlites stage at age five to her Off Broadway performance of “Curley McDimple” the stage has been home to Jane Stuart. Jane cherished the theatre but there was still a vacancy inside, a need if you will that burned daily with desire. Jane knew what the fire was stoked by; it was the heated infatuation to stage her love of Jazz!

“Beginning to See the Light” has allowed Jane’s craving to be somewhat satisfied. This 2007 spin was a multi-year effort that needed to be accomplished in Jane’s mind. In her view, this spin had to be perfect as time was on her side to allow it to be so. With Rave Tesar as a partner the arrangements and studio work were worth the outcome. “Beginning to See the Light” is an artistic vocal illustration of jazz with a great palette of attitudes!

Jane’s travels to this point in her life have been filled with interesting side roads and stops. What is central through all the years was the vision of jazz. It was as bright and lighted then and still is now, never dimmed by life’s misadventures. As I got Jane between sets you will comprehend why that vision is even brighter today!


JazzReview: Jane, your first performance was “Me and My Teddy Bear” which may have been your launching pad. If so how?

Jane Stuart: As a little girl (five years old) I was part of a dance group. I was on a TV show and I remember the most fun was we got to wear make-up. I did not care about the other stuff for it (singing) came easy to me. That and getting up on stage and sing with the other kids. It was no big deal for me I was always performing.

In fact, like in the “Our Gang” comedies I used to put on little shows in my neighborhood. I gathered all the kids told them what to do and what to say. If they could not sing I would have them lip-synch. I would stand behind them and sing. I would produce the shows and sell tickets. That was in some way my start.

JazzReview: There were certain people later in your life that had an impact on your professional career such as Bernadette Peters, Patty Duke, and the late Gregory Hines. Talk if you will about those times.

Jane Stuart: Well, we were all going to this high school designed for professional kids. It was in New York, so if we were in a Broadway show or you went on the road they made sure you had a tutor. I was part of this school which does not exist anymore. I don’t know if they had an impact on my career but it was very good for I was performing and auditioning for stuff with those same professionals. Many of them went on to be famous. What was important is that I was with my peers during this time. It felt very natural. I was Broadway focused at this time…

JazzReview: So when did that focus change?

Jane Stuart: This was the same time in my life when I starting going to night clubs. I wasn’t old enough to be in the bar but I had a fake I.D. (laughing). I used to go with my friends Bernadette (Peters), Michele Conaway (sister of Jeff Conaway of Taxi). The clubs would have these live variety shows in the evening. I used to just get up and sing. I had these jazzy types of arrangements in my head.

One night I told the piano player how to play later finding out it was Charlie Smalls, composer of “The Wiz”. We became good friends and starting singing on a regular basis with Kenny Rankin and Baby Jane Dexter at the club. That is when I found out I could sing jazz and loved doing it. I found that jazz camaraderie musically with the jazz crowd and it was for me. All of a sudden Broadway was not as important as it once was. I still wanted to be on stage but jazz appeared to be my life’s focus more so!

JazzReview: So was this your epiphany?

Jane Stuart: Oh was that the moment? Not really! I know that it (Jazz) was just so much a part of me. Even with my Broadway singing and focus I always had a jazzy style. Perhaps the real turning point was during high school I used to listen to a radio show called “Symphony Sid Show”. He played all the classic jazz. I spent many times alone then. My father had past away and mom was working. I was trying to make it (life) all work. Hearing that music touched me! I felt as though it was about me! I didn’t decide that’s what I want to do; I just did it! Jazz touched me where my heart is.

JazzReview: I hear that Thad Jones was in a way a force in your career. How so?

Jane Stuart: Thad heard me sing at the Improv and loved the way I sang. Thad was known for “Lovin” the ladies a lot too. Thad however always treated me as a protégée not as a (laughter) you know! He was not chasing after me which was a good thing! Thad was totally charming, loving, and kind. He just said one thing to me as he looked me straight in the eye. Thad - jazzreview.com


"Zan Stewart Interview 3/13/09"

Local event coverage and:
From tap school to jingles, jazz singer Jane Stuart has followed the beat by Zan Stewart
The Star-Ledger
Thursday March 12, 2009, 2:44 PM

Listen to Jane Stuart on her 2007 CD, "I'm Beginning to See the Light" (Jane Stuart Music), and you hear a jazz singer who's equally persuasive on the swinging title track, on the jazz classic "Four," which includes vocalese, and on the heart-tugging torch song "Angel Eyes."
Stuart, a Jersey City native who lives in Nutley with her husband of 18 years, drummer Rick De Kovessey, can be heard Friday at the Jazzberry Patch at the Classic Quiche Cafe, Teaneck.
Stuart has been involved with music since she was a toddler making up songs and singing them for her parents. She's worked as a studio jingle singer with the likes of Valerie Simpson and Patti Austin, she's worked Top 40 bands, and she's done off- Broadway. But jazz, which she's been singing since the 1970s, is her heartthrob.
"Singing jazz is always an opportunity for self-discovery," she says. "And when it's working, when the band and singer are in synch, there's no better high. You feel like you're flying. There's that pure joy. It's a means of heart expression, of feelings, a way of communicating."
Stuart (janestuartmusic.com) figures she got a couple of early breaks that led her toward her vocation. Her parents supported her show biz ambitions and placed her in Charlie Lowe's School of Tap in Manhattan when she was a teenager, where one of her classmates was the actor Christopher Walken.
"I loved tap. Tap is jazz, it's the rhythm, and not just skill with the feet. There's another language, a language that is like scatting," she says.
Around the same time, in the early 1960s, Stuart listened to the radio jazz disc jockey Symphony Sid Torin. "He played John Coltrane, Lambert, Hendricks, and Ross, Abbey Lincoln, Carmen McRae, Sarah Vaughan," she recalls. "I wasn't so conscious I was listening to jazz, I was just loving it, it was speaking to me. That music filled my soul, my heart."
At the Jazzberry, a comfortable back room at the Classic Quiche, Stuart will be joined by De Kovessey, pianist Ted Brancato, bassist Sue Williams, and saxophonist Gary Keller. On the agenda will be tunes from the CD, and other splendid items.
These might include "Be a Lion," from "The Wiz," written by Charlie Smalls, a champion of Stuart's from way back, and Stevie Wonder's "Bird of Beauty," both done as sambas. "Sambas make me happy," Stuart says.
"Yesterdays" and "This Can't Be Love" will be swingers. "I love to swing, and try to every chance I can," Stuart says.
Of course, every singer gets into ballads, and for Stuart that might mean "I'm Glad There is You." "On a slow song, you can be a little more intimate, not over-sing, show your taste, just tell the story," she says.
Despite her years of experience, Stuart feels she's still a work in progress. "I'm still growing, learning, listening, working on it," she says. "I hope I can keep doing it."
Zan Stewart is the Star-Ledger's jazz writer. He is also a musician who occasionally performs at local clubs. He may be reached at zstewart@starledger.com or at (973) 324-9930.

- Newark Star Ledger


"O's Place Jazz Newsletter"

CD Review: O's Notes: While Stuart has been singing professionally for a while, this is her first recording as a leader. Jane's voice is well paired with these standards and her band steps up to further enhance the experience. The crisp brass solos on "Moanin'" and Kermit Driscoll's bass solo on "Through A Long And Sleepless Night" are examples. . She sings confidently from the bossa on "It Might As Well Be Spring" then swinging on "Getting To Know You" to the romance of "Angel Eyes". We think Stuart will be back in the studio soon!

--
- D. Oscar Groomes


Discography

"Don't Look Back" JSM 2011 produced and arranged by Jane Stuart and Rave Tesar.

Jane Stuart-vocals
Rave Tesar- keyboards
Rick De Kovessey- drums
Sue Williams- bass (# 1, 2, 7, 8, 10, 12)
Kermit Driscoll- bass (#3, 4, 5, 6, 11)
Emedin Rivera- percussion, whistles
Dave Stryker- guitar
Dick Oatts- alto sax, flute
Frank Elmo- tenor sax
Background vocals- Rick De Kovessey, Orlando Quinones, Paige Sandusky, Rave Tesar

"Beginning To See The Light" JSM 2007 produced by Jane Stuart and Rave Tesar. Arranged by Jane Stuart and Rave Tesar. Keyboard - Rave Tesar, Bass - Sue Williams and Kermit Driscoll, Drums - Rick De Kovessey, Guitar - Lenny Argese, Percussion - Frankie Valdes, Tenor Sax - Frank Elmo, Baritone Sax - Danny Nigro, Trumpet - Vinnie Cutro, Trombone - Conrad Zulauf

Photos

Bio

For Jane Stuart, dance in general – and tap in particular – gave that rhythmic sensibility that would allow her to take liberties in the music, and always be spot on. That's why she was so drawn to jazz. The music is so unencumbered – like a blank slate - affording her the freedom she always felt. And the lyrics she sought out served as a catharsis – a way to work through life's many complexities and difficulties at a young age.
For an artist who modeled, acted, sang and danced professionally since age 5, hung out (and played hooky) with classmate friends Bernadette Peters, Greg Hines and Bonnie Bedelia, and portrayed Joan Baez in Richard Farina’s Long Time Comin’ A Long Time Gone alongside co-stars Richard Gere, Vicki Sue Robinson and Jessica Harper, "jazz singer" might not be what one would expect to see on this list. But since her vast music and arts background exposed her to a wide world of genres, she had such a rich palette from which to draw, and jazz just felt right.

As a first-call studio & jingle singer, you've most likely heard her voice in numerous high-profile ad campaigns both solo, as well as in ensemble with Valerie Simpson, Patti Austin, Shawn Colvin and many others, but her 2006 release, Beginning To See The Light, finally gave jazz audiences an 'extended play' of Jane's jazzier side. This long-awaited disc was enthusiastically received by media and audiences alike, and earned her IAJE’s Best Jazz Vocals accolades for that year. Her latest effort, Don't Look Back, is certain to broaden her fan base exponentially.

Jane's affinity for arranging emerged early on. “My father died when I was 13. My mother, a legal secretary, worked long, hard hours and my brother was away at school. I spent a lot of time alone. I would make up arrangements of old standards and sing them in my head while doing a tap routine on my fingers. I remember so many of those songs now, when I am looking for material to sing.”

A musician's singer, her sure sense of swing, impeccable time and keen storytelling ability has made her a favorite of A-List players. After hearing her at The Improv, Thad Jones was so impressed with her talent that he presented Jane with The Thad Jones/Mel Lewis Quintet at the club. Besides its illustrious leaders, the all-star band featured Roland Hanna, Jon Faddis and George Mraz. She also appeared in Joe Papp’s N.Y. Shakespeare Festival Summer Jazz Theatre with Woody Shaw, Harold Vic and Freddie Waites.

Jane Stuart knows what she wants and is crystal clear on putting it forth. Her song selections for Don't Look Back include rarely heard gems, Cole Porter's Experiment, as well as Johnny Mandel’s title cut, her striking ballad version of Lennon & McCartney's I'll Follow the Sun and her own composition, Let It Come To You, which nests flawlessly into this sterling set. She is joined on this outing by some of her favorite players that graced her last recording: pianist and co-producer Rave Tesar, bassists Sue Williams and Kermit Driscoll, saxophonist Frank Elmo and drummer/husband Rick De Kovessey, in addition to percussionist Emedin Rivera, guitarist Dave Stryker, and long-time friend Dick Oatts, who played on 3 tunes and also arranged Experiment. Continuing their ongoing collaboration, she & Rave Tesar partnered on most of the other arrangements.

The camaraderie of the ensemble shines through brilliantly on Don't Look Back. The affection these artists have toward one another transcends the date; one feels it was there well before Jane's last recording, and will last well beyond Don't Look Back. Indeed, Jane Stuart has quite a bit to look forward to.