Janis Siegel
Welcome to the world of 10 Time Grammy Winner JANIS SIEGEL & Requinte Trio , where we will be sharing the fusion of American Jazz and Brazilian music, forming a "creative combustion" of music. We are fusing the talents and musical colors of American and Brazilian artists through our common love of lyrical melodies and delicious grooves; creating sensual music with a broad range of influences - a musical "cocktail" of sorts. We're excited to delve more deeply into the beautiful rhythms of Brazil and jazz and would love to share our music with you.
These days, you can find Janis in the place she loves most, the studio, producing various ventures for other artists and singing on projects ranging from patriotic Americana, to tributes to Gene Krupa and Lionel Hampton, a full blown vocal extravaganza that she produced for legendary Filipino singer/songwriter Jose Mari Chan. This CD was entitled “The Manhattan Connection” and featured 15 incredible vocal artists such as Lisa Fisher, Canada’s Kellyelee Evans, Theo Bleckmann, Laurel Massé Lauren Kinhan and Marlon Saunders among many others…all singing new arrangements of classic songs of Mr. Chan.
Janis Siegel is a nine-time Grammy winner and a seventeen-time Grammy nominee. Janis Siegel has over a dozen solo albums and has amassed a large international fan base to consistently high critical praise.
With The Manhattan Transfer, Janis’ sang lead on some of the Transfer’s biggest hits, such as “Operator,” “Chanson D’Amour,” “Twilight Zone,” “Birdland,” “Ray’s Rockhouse,” “Sassy,” “Spice of Life,” “Mystery,” and “The Boy from N.Y.C.”. She also gained a reputation as a vocal arranger by writing five of the charts for the group’s acclaimed masterwork, Vocalese, seven charts for the group’s Grammy-winning album Brazil, and won a Grammy herself in 1980 for her arrangement of “Birdland.”
Her second solo album, At Home, earned her a Grammy nomination in 1987 for Best Female Jazz Vocals. She collaborated with jazz pianist Fred Hersch on the 1989 album, Short Stories, which JazzTimes ranked “among the most graceful, thoroughly heartbreaking efforts of the modern era, thanks to her rich, emotive vocals.” That same year, the New York Music Awards named her Best Female Jazz Singer. Siegel rejoined Hersch in the making ofSlow Hot Wind in 1995, and The Tender Trap in 1999 and included high-profile players like Michael Brecker, Hank Crawford, Russell Malone and Matt Wilson.
Her studio recording for Telarc, released in 2006 and produced by Brian Bacchus, is the Latin- flavored A Thousand Beautiful Things which features the talents of Edmar Castaneda on Colombian harp, Edsel Gomez on piano, John Benetiz on bass, Steve Hass on drums and Brian Lynch on trumpet. Edsel Gomez provided the arrangements for this formidable NY/Latin band, to songs written by contemporary songwriters such as Björk, Annie Lennox, (who wrote the title tune) Nellie McKay, Suzanne Vega, Paul Simon and Stevie Wonder.
Shows
1. THE COLORS OF MY LIFE – A CY COLEMAN SONGBOOK
JANIS SIEGEL + YARON GERSHOVSKY
This is my latest release and a collaborative project with Yaron Gershovsky, the musical director and pianist of The Manhattan Transfer for the last 40 years.
The record is being distributed by Club 44 Records . I uploaded the CD for you in the drive, as well as photos, album notes, my bio and Yaron’s , and a one sheet description of the project. I have included our rider as well. Unfortunately we have only done one gig so far, the CD release at Birdland , but we have a European tour coming up where we can get additional footage and photos and hopefully some reviews .
ALL PHOTO CREDITS ARE : MATT BAKER
Yaron and I can also include songs we’ve recorded on each other’s album as well as one or two Transfer goodies.
Yaron and I could do this as a duo …but the ultimate would be a quartet …so two more instrumentalists, Yaron and myself. It also possible to pick up local players…we are doing that in Poland , for instance.
2. SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR – REIMAGININGS OF ELLINGTON/STRAYHORN
This is a show I am developing for The Village Trip Festival with pianist John di Martino ..It will have its debut in NYC at The Blue Note in Sept. and will also celebrate the 125th bday of the Duke . We want to carry both Duke and Billy Strayhorn’s musical legacy into the future with some inventive arrangements and reimaginings of their music….The Duke’s music represents so much more than the notes he played …and this is also true for Billy Strayhorn , who was one of the most groundbreaking and influential gay musicians of his time.
John di Martino has already done a tribute CD to the music of Billy Strayhorn , so he will be playing some of that instrumentally. Here are some links to his record “PASSION FLOWER ”
The repertoire will be :
SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR
THE MUSIC OF ELLINGTON/STRAYHORN
1. A FLOWER IS A LOVESOME THING
2. LOVE HAS PASSED ME BY AGAIN
3. SOMETHING TO LIVE FOR
4. I LET A SONG GO OUT OF MY HEART
5. SOLITUDE
6. IN A MELLOW TONE
7. MY LITTLE BROWN BOOK
8. CARAVAN
9. PRELUDE TO A KISS
10.LOTUS BLOSSOM
11.LAMENT FOR AN ORCHID
12. MOOD INDIGO
13. LOVE CAME
14. DROP ME OFF IN HARLEM
15. TULIP OR TURNIP ?
16. PRELUDE TO A KISS
17.INSTRUMENTAL
18. INSTRUMENTAL
19. INSTRUMENTAL
Typical Set List
A Ra ( Joao Donato / Caetano Veloso )
I Didn’t Know What Time It Was ( Rodgers + Hart)
Amazonas
Summer Samba
Luz Do Sol
All The Way
Baubles Bangles & Beads
Bananeira
So Danco Samba
Acaso
Double Rainbow
Voce E Eu
Mar do Norte ( original)
Propinho ( Fred Hersch / Nanny Assis )
Capim (Djavan )
Fotographia ( Jobim )
Lambada de Serpente ( Djavan )
Lugar Comum
Este Seu Olhar
Teaser:
3. JANIS SIEGEL /SEAN HARKNESS/ CLAUDE MCKNIGHT PROJECT
This trio is a project that I think could really work well in the territories we spoke about …esp Japan. Claude Mc Knight is an original member and the top voice of the Grammy winning vocal group Take 6 , with a very large and active following in Japan – but he is also a beautiful crooner with a great love for Nat King Cole, Sinatra ( His brother is Brian McKnight BTW) and more contemporary R+B crooners .
Sean is a virtuoso on the baritone guitar and we have done some shows together here in NY .
Claude and I would do a lot of classic duets …both jazz and R+B . We sang together as part of the collaborative Manhattan Transfer/Take 6 show called “The Summit”
We would all also be able to do master classes either separately or together as part of a package.
It could be just the trio …or ideally we would add one more instrumentalist- piano/percussion/ bass player.
