The popularity of Jane Monheit across the ocean is on a par with that of Diana Krall, so it is about time the Hungarian audience got to know her artistry, which has already been recognised with two Grammy nominations. While her debut album - on which she was backed by Kenny Barron, Ron Carter and Lewis Nash - was on the Billboard jazz chart for over a year, the second entered at number one. She was aged just 20 when she came second only to the great comeback queen Teri Thornton in the prestigious Thelonious Monk Vocal Competition, where her performance betrayed a natural and elegant technical proficiency entirely free of conceit. Jane Monheit is one of the most acclaimed cultivators of the legacy of Ella Fitzgerald, but she shapes the jazz legend's cherished songs to her own image. She has worked for many years with the trumpet player, composer, arranger and producer Nicholas Payton, with whom she also recorded her album entitled Ella. Monheit feels equally at home appearing with her permanent trio, in which her husband Rick Montalbane plays drums, as she does when accompanied by a full orchestra. She has sung duets with Michael Bublé, John Pizzarelli and Ivan Lins. At the Jazz Spring festival, she will be accompanied by the Budapest Jazz Orchestra.

Presented by: Müpa Budapest