MSM to Celebrate Sinatra's Centennial with Jazz Vocalist Jane Monheit

On Friday, November 13 at 7:30 pm, the MSM Jazz Orchestra - under the direction of Justin DiCioccio (MM '71) - is featuring jazz singing great and MSM alumna Jane Monheit (BM '99) in Jane's Way, a special concert celebrating the centennial of Frank Sinatra's birth. (The legendary crooner was born in Hoboken, New Jersey, on December 12, 1915.)

This swinging jazz tribute will take place in MSM Borden auditorium and showcase performances of original arrangements - many by frequent Sinatra collaborator NelsonRiddle - made famous by Old Blue Eyes, including "How About You?," "The Best is Yet to Come," "Night and Day," "I Won't Dance," "They Can't Take That Away from Me," and many others.

Stephen Holden of the New York Times praises Monheit's "voice of phenomenal beauty and flexibility," calling her "an intensely emotional interpreter of standards," while Times jazz critic Nate Chinen writes that Monheit "has made a career out of silver linings and their pursuit, applying the pristine sensuality of her voice to songs of cozy reverie."

Kicking the evening off at 6:30 pm in MSM's Greenfield Hall will be a very special pre-concert talk by best-selling Sinatra biographer James Kaplan, who will sign copies of his recently released second volume of his definitive, "brightly evocative" (New York Times) Sinatra biography - Frank Sinatra: The Chairman.

As one of the mostpopular entertainers of the 20th century, Sinatra rose to fame as a big band singer, eventually embarking on a solo singing career (and an Academy Award-winning acting career) that would become legendary. Despite their notbeing introduced until 1958, after two significant peaks in Sinatra's recording career had already come and gone, the Grammy Awards would ultimately recognize the "Chairman of the Board" (one of the singer's many nicknames) with 11 Grammys, over 30 nominations, and (in 1966) a Lifetime Achievement Award.

Of Sinatra, Monheit says: "These songs mean everything to me! Not only have I made singing them my life's work, but they've bonded me with family and friends and become the soundtrack to my entire existence. I take great pride in interpreting them."

"It's always a unique thrill to have Jane back at MSM," says DiCioccio of his former student in MSM's Jazz Arts Department (DiCioccio is the department's Associate Dean and Chair). "We all have fond memories of her years here as a student and have enjoyed watching her scale the heights of the jazz world. The fact that she will be joining forces with MSM's Jazz Orchestra in a special evening celebrating Sinatra makes this evening especially important to all of us at MSM."

"It's always special for me to return to MSM," Monheit adds. "I had some of the best times of my life there, and made friends (and found a husband!) that will last a lifetime. MSM was so much more to me than just my education. It's an honor to have been able to continue my relationship with them on a professional level."

Jane's Way will be performed in MSM's Borden Auditorium on Friday, November 13, 7:30 pm. Admission is free, although tickets are required (msmnyc.edu/tickets). A free pre-concert talk and book signingwill take place at 6:30 pm in MSM's Greenfield Hall (no reservations are required).

For press seats and further information, please contact Caryn Freitag, Manhattan School of Music's Communications and Public Relations Associate, at cfreitag@msmnyc.edu.

JANE MONHEIT

Jane Monheit has been a leading light in both the jazz and cabaret worlds since emerging as a finalist in the Thelonious Monk Institute's 1998 vocal competition. In addition to her own recordings, she has worked alongside the likes of Terence Blanchard, Tom Harrell, and Ivan Lins. Monheit has released nine albums and two DVDs, and has appeared as a guest artist on many others. She appears on the soundtrack of the movie Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow singing "Over the Rainbow". Monheit has also been a featured performer in the nationally televised Christmas at the White House, the Capitol Fourth of July Celebration, and The National Memorial Day Celebration. She has appeared on numerous television shows including Emeril, Ramsey Lewis' Legends of Jazz, Letterman, The View, and The Today Show. Monheit spends most of the year on tour with her band, which currently includes Michael Kanan on piano, Neal Miner on bass, and Rick Montalbano on drums. She also performs with the major symphonic orchestras throughout the country. In 2013, Monheit was a judge and mentor for the Songbook Academy, a summer intensive for high school students operated by the Great American Songbook Foundation and founded by Michael Feinstein. In 2015, Monheit joined the judging panel for The 14th Annual Independent Music Awards and in doing so, helped to assist the careers of upcoming independent artists. Monheit graduated with honors from the Manhattan School of Music in 1999, earning a BA in music and receiving the William H. Borden Award for outstanding accomplishment in Jazz.

JAMES KAPLAN

James Kaplan has been writing about people and ideas in business and popular culture, as well as notable fiction (Best American Short Stories), for over three decades. His essays and reviews, as well as more than a hundred major profiles of figures, have appeared in many magazines including The New Yorker, The New York Times Magazine, Vanity Fair, Esquire, and New York. His novels include Pearl's Progress and Two Guys From Verona, a New York Times Notable Book for 1998. His nonfiction works include The Airport, You Cannot Be Serious (co-authored with John McEnroe), Dean and Me: A Love Story (with Jerry Lewis), and the first volume of his definitive biography of Frank Sinatra, Frank: The Voice. He lives in Westchester, New York, with his wife and three sons.

JUSTIN DICIOCCIO

Justin DiCioccio is internationally recognized as one of the foremost jazz educators of our time. In January 2001, he was inducted into the Jazz Education Hall of Fame. His keen insight into teaching and his inventive approach have earned him the title "the musician's teacher."

In 2002, Mr. DiCioccio was named MSM's Assistant Dean/Chair, Jazz Arts Program; in 2011 he was named Associate Dean. Under his leadership, the jazz curriculum has been completely restructured, and a newjazz DMA program was introduced. He has put into action his concept of the complete artist-musician - performer, composer, and pedagogue - by developing partnerships with public schools, community organizations, cultural institutions, and the music industry. He initiated the addition of a jazz component to the Precollege Division, making Manhattan School of Music one of the few institutions in the country to offer jazz programs at all levels. Mr. DiCioccio also directs international jazz programs, in partnership with Manhattan School of Music.

Mr. DiCioccio has served as program director and clinician for Carnegie Hall Jazz Education and acts as a consultant to Jazz at Lincoln Center and Wynton Marsalis. He designed, developed, and directed the award-winning LaGuardia High School of the Arts jazz program, the first fully accredited secondary jazz program in the United States.

Mr. DiCioccio is the recipient of a citation from the mayor of New York for "Distinguished and Exceptional Service to Young Instrumentalists" and is active with the National Foundation for Advancement in the Arts. He is a three-time recipient of the Presidential Scholars teaching recognition award by the U.S. Department of Education. In May 1998, the Commission Project, in partnership with the New York City Board of Education, created the JD Award for Outstanding Service to Music in New York City Schools. On March 1, 2010, he was confirmed as the State Department Appointed Cultural Envoy Jazz Ambassador to Tbilisi, Georgia.

Mr. DiCioccio's performing and conducting credentials include concerts, commercials, Broadway shows, and recordings with jazz, orchestral, rock, and new music groups. He has performed with Arturo Sandoval, Randy Brecker, Chuck Mangione, Phil Woods, Stan Getz, Red Rodney, and Clark Terry. Mr. DiCioccio is a former member of the Rochester Philharmonic and for five years was a member of the Marine Band, "The President's Own," in which he served as the official White House drummer.

MSM Jazz Orchestra

The Manhattan School of Music Jazz Orchestra,under the direction of Justin DiCioccio, performs regularly with major artists such as Eliane Elias, Jon Faddis, Joe Lovano, Bob Mintzer, Dave Liebman, Wynton Marsalis, and Phil Woods. The ensemble has appeared at jazz festivals including Montreux, Umbria, and the North Sea, as well as at the Clinton White House with David Sanborn, and at numerous jazz education conferences. It has also beenheard at New York City jazz clubs, including the Jazz Standard and Dizzy's Club Coca-Cola (where it performs regularly), as well as at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and at Carnegie Hall in Stern Auditorium performing a children's concert. In partnership with the Jazzheads label, the MSM Jazz Orchestra, conducted by Justin DiCioccio, has recorded and released CDs of the critically acclaimed Miles Davis-Gil Evans trilogy, Miles Ahead, Porgy and Bess, and Sketches of Spain, with NEA Jazz Master Dave Liebman performing the Miles Davis trumpet solos on saxophone.

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