Jane Scheckter CD Release Event at Saint Peters Church

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Jane Scheckter will perform on Wednesday., Aug. 1st at Saint Peters Church (619 Lexington Avenue,New York, NY 10022) with Tedd Firth- Piano/musical Director, Bucky Pizzarelli-guitar, Jay Leonhart-Bass and Warren Vache-Cornet. Easy To Remember, the fourth album by jazz-cabaret singer Jane Scheckter is an unforgettable outing by one of the genre's most talented, yet still underappreciated veteran vocalist. Hailed in the pages of the New York Times by John S. Wilson for her "precise, positive, pure-toned voice" and "easy offhand delivery" and Stephen Holden, who lauded her "bright, clear voice with a brassy edge and a luscious, rounded vibrato" and praised "her pristine enunciation … meticulous phrasing and sultry lower register…and she swings!, " Scheckter is a potent proponent of the Great American Songbook, preserving cherished melodic treasures and unearthing rare lyrical gems.

As on her previous efforts, I've Got My Standards, Double Standards and In Times Like These, Ms. Scheckter is accompanied by a first rate rhythm section, which in the past has included such stellar artists as Mike Renzi, Chip Jackson and Grady Tate. On Easy To Remember, returning from her previous recording, are pianist/arranger Tedd Firth and bassist extraordinaire Jay Leonhart, with the talented drummer Peter Grant filling out the trio, which is joined by a cast of guest greats, including guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli, cornetist Warren Vaché, saxophonist Harry Allen, and violinist Aaron Weinstein on various tracks.

Opening with Irving Berlin's seldom sung The Best Thing For You, Scheckter exudes the confidence of someone who knows exactly what she's doing and loves doing it, as she soars assuredly over the full ensemble with Pizzarelli's guitar swinging the rhythm section and the two horns filling out the band's sound, with Vaché and Allen stepping briefly into spotlight on the hip arrangement.

I Hadn't Anyone 'Til You, by Ray Noble, opens intimately with Scheckter accompanied only by Pizzarelli's guitar for the first chorus. Horns and rhythm section enter to swing the bridge before the singer returns swinging just as hard herself, with Vaché, Allen and Firth each offering terse retorts to her cheerful recitation of the lyric.

Pianist Roger Kellaway's I Have The Feeling I've Been Here Before, with words by the supremely talented team of Alan and Marilyn Bergman, famously introduced by Carmen McRae and later covered by Susannah McCorkle and Maureen McGovern, is given a moving melancholic reading by Scheckter, with Vaché's stirring cornet solo adding to the track's powerful emotionalism.

I Was A Little A Little Too Lonely, well known for Nat King Cole's classic After Midnight performance, proves the perfect vehicle for Scheckter to strut her chops as she triumphantly brings to life the sly lyric in a saloon song setting. Twenty-six year old guest violinist Aaron Weinstein adds nicely to the proceedings, acquitting himself as an important young voice on his instrument.

The date's title track, Rodgers and Hart's Easy To Remember, is lovingly intoned by Scheckter with delicate accompaniment by Firth and company, with Allen's breathy tenor offering sympathetic obbligati to the singer's vocalizing in the tradition of Lester Young's classic work with Billie Holiday.

I Didn't Know About Youopens with Scheckter's recitation of the rarely heard verse to the popular Bob Russell lyric to the Duke Ellington classic. Guest vocalist Tony DeSare joins the singer and rhythm section on the romantic outing that eschews regret in favor of final fulfillment.

Burton Lane and Yip Harburg's Don't Let It Get You Down, from the Broadway musical Hold On To Your Hats, features Scheckter's flawless interpretation of the song's life affirming words, driven by the impeccable bass work of Jay Leonhart.

Will You Still Be Minefeatures Scheckter and band swinging the Matt Dennis-Tom Adair standard brightly. The strings get to do their thing on this uncharacteristically buoyant rendition of the song, with Weinstein and Leonhart each taking their turn soloing in support of the singer.

Scheckter is surely at her finest on her pristine interpretation of lyricist Tommy Wolf's words to the hauntingly beautiful Victor Feldman ballad A Face Like Yours, her crystalline tone recalling the likes of Sarah Vaughn and Cleo Laine in its unblemished purity.

Where Or When, the Rodgers and Hart evergreen, opens with the recital of yet another infrequently heard verse, this one a true gem unearthed by Scheckter. Special guest Gil Chimes is joins the trio and singer on harmonica to add a wistful touch to the proceedings.

The full ensemble, with Pizzarelli on guitar, accompany Scheckter on her swinging version of Phillip Springer and Carolyn Leigh's How Little We Know, the group recalling the immaculate sound of Count Basie's band in its pulsing rhythms.

Stuck in a Dream With Meis a marvelous new edition to Scheckter's voluminous repertoire, a touching melody written by the young Los Angeles based singer/pianist John Proulx. The song's tender lyric, by K. Lawrence Dunham, is sung here with convincing sincerity.

Written for the Bing Crosby starring film Mr. Music, Jimmy Van Heusen and Johnny Burke's Accidents Will Happen is given a swinging treatment by Scheckter and the full ensemble with Weinstein's violin augmenting the horns in the frontline, then joining Vaché and Allen in a series of four bar trades with drummer Grant. Scheckter soars lightheartedly over the band on this optimistic ode to love.

Pizzarelli's guitar introduces the Jimmy Dorsey-Paul Mertz classic I'm Glad There Is You, dueting with Scheckter on the opening chorus, before being joined by the trio, with Grant on brushes, for a truly compelling version of one of music's most moving songs.

Along With Me, a Harold Rome song from the Broadway show Call Me Mister, kicks off with Scheckter singing accompanied solely by Grant on drums, again playing with brushes. Following the pair’s rhythmic tour de force, the rest of the rhythmic section, followed by the horns, kicks in full force for a highflying uptempo flight that showcases Scheckter’s powerful sound and impeccable pulse.
Closing the date’s “official” program with Cy Coleman and Carolyn Leigh’s I Walk A Little Faster, Scheckter once again bares her soul on a optimistic ode to love memorializing the romantic milieu of Manhattan. Accompanied by Firth, it’s easy to imagine the singer standing before the piano, microphone in hand, captivating a hushed audience in one of the city’s finer music rooms.
A bonus version of Will You Still Be Mine, featuring Bob Feinberg’s clever update to the lyrics, with humorous references to Donald Trump, Hugh Hefner and Paris Hilton, finishes things off in fine form

Young at heart and wise in time, Jane Scheckter sings songs of timeless beauty with a sound and swing that confirms the music’s enduring relevance. Easy To Remember is only the latest chapter in the career of a singer, who after you hear once, is so very hard to forget.

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