Jane Monheit - Live at the Rainbow Room

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Summary: Brotherly Love
Review: I find that the review form Las Vegas and the West Coaster who agree , are in the dark as to management. I always assumed that Maryann Topper of Jazztree, New York City, and The William Morris Agency of Beverly Hills,CA. were in the top echelon of management. Could I be mistaken? To me , the DVD was a good performance, with accomplished accompaniment. I have seen Broadbent and Carter perform with Ms Monheit on several occasions in very sophisticated rooms. You will like the DVD, regardless of amateur reviewing.

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Summary: A Wonderful Night of Music
Review: I first found out about Jane Monheit from a very interesting piece on CBS's "Sunday Morning" show. Over next few years I become a fan of this young classically trained singer, who has brought some new blood to the classic pop genre. I was surprised when I found out she had a live performance on DVD.I had accidentally plugged in her name into Amazon's DVD section and the "Live at the Rainbow Room" title popped up. Well it was a lucky accident, because "Live at the Rainbow Room" presents Monheit in a delightful, intimate performance, that is a musical treat.The performance is mainly a showcase for her third and newest album, "Into the Sun", but also manages to mix other tunes from her older CDs. She has a wonderful voice, which is at home singing every thing from pop classics such as "Cheek to Cheek" and "Tea for Two" to more modern fair such as "Love Has No Pride" and "Waters of March". My personal favorite of the set is the classic opening number, "Over the Rainbow". Moheit starts the song off by singing in a low accapella and then is slowly joined in by the orchestra. It is moving and emotional reading of the Arlen standard, which really shows off, what a pure talent she really is. Other highlights include a steamy version of Duke Ellington's "Just Squeeze Me" and a rousing rendition "Hit the Road to Dreamland". Monheit works well with the orchestra (which includes bass legend Ron Carter) as well as the smaller group configurations and soloists.She presents a friendly and light hearted personality, which really shines in this concert. The world famous 'Rainbow Room' turns out to be an wonderful small, intimate venue for the show.As a viewer I felt like I was there. The DVD's picture and sound quality are excellent.It also includes a short featurette, which includes interviews and rehearsal footage. If you are a fan of Jane Monheit or classic pop in general, then I highly recommend "Live at the Rainbow Room".

Rating:
Summary: Minor irritations in an otherwise pleasant experience
Review: I have been a fan of Ms. Monheit's recordings, with a few reservations (among them overproduction). This DVD is a nice program, and I'd go so far to say I enjoy her performance in most of these concert versions even more than those of the studio recordings. The overly lush orchestrations, to me, spoil the experience a bit - much the way they spoil recent Charlie Haden Quartet West releases (do I sense a common culprit?). I'd prefer to see Jane in a plain old trio/quartet setting. Also, I was surprised to see what a nice-looking young lady she is in the bonus material, without the tarted-up Veronica Lake courtesan costume and make-up: can't we just have that? Or do her producers think her talent is so inconsequential that they need to make her conform to some stock-conventional image of a jazz chanteuse? I'm sure the truth of Jane Monheit's talent would be better showcased without all the unnecessary frills and accoutrements. Maybe when she can shed her short-sighted management, her true star will shine more brightly.

Rating:
Summary: Jane Monheit's DVD is GREAT!
Review: I have been waiting for this DVD to come out for a while. When it came today, the first thing I did was play the whole show and it was as good as when I saw her live last year. Visually it's great to watch in widescreen and the sound is a 5.1 surround sound which was great as well. If your a Jane Monheit fan, or a jazz fan, this is a DVD worth getting. Jane Monheit has one the best voices in jazz. Every jazz fan, if you have not heard her before, should take a listen to her CDs and be amazed.

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Summary: New York Reviewer
Review: I have seen Jane perform in New York's most prestigious rooms. Several times in the Oak Room of the famous Algonquin,several times in Carnegie Hall, many times in Lincoln Center, the Vanguard, the Bluenote, Birdland, and in the famous Carlyle Cafe of the Carlyle Hotel. Her performance in the Rainbow Room was just as exciting and well done as any other. Some folks ,who are not well acquainted with the New York's best rooms should not offer critiques such as appear from those in the boondocks.

Rating:
Summary: Unfortunate
Review: I largely agree with the viewer from Durham. This is just a horrible production, except for the sound, which is excellent. Ms. Monheit is not untalented, but she's very young, and it shows in this production. Her stage presence is what you might expect from a 21-year-old, and few 21-year-olds are ready for the Rainbow Room. Neither is Ms. Monheit. The clumsy, frenetic direction of this program just makes things worse. I like Ms. Monheit. I've enjoyed her CDs. I hope she matures as a singer. But this DVD was a big disappointment. (Apparently the viewer from New York thinks only New Yorkers as sophisticated as he/she is should write reviews of great talent like Jane Monheit. Excuuuuse me for being from "the boondocks" (which from the perspective of New Yorkers is, I guess, the entire remainder of the United States). This is still a mediocre performance and a lousy production.)

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Summary: You guys make me laugh
Review: I love the reviews posted by all of the jazz queens out there. You kept me in stitches. New York, blah, blah, blah

Rating:
Summary: THE BEST DVD EVER
Review: I REALLY ENJOYED THIS DELISHIOUS DVD, JANE IS REALLY SOMETHING TO LOOK AT. WOW, SHE"S A GOOD SINGER TOO

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Summary: The best purchase I ever made on amazon.com
Review: I've bought literally hundreds of DVD's and CD's on Amazon.com, and this is without a doubt the best purchase I made on Amazon. Jane sings striaght from her heart in a jazzy and swinging style, she is very lovely, and as a female I can even admit she's beautiful and sexy. My husband watches this dvd when I'm at work and he thinks I don't know, it puts him in a romantic mood, for when i get home from work, our love life has never been better(so what if he thinks of jane the whole time), thanks jane for making this dvd, and for being blessed with the best singing voice around today. A great dvd, worth investing in.

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Summary: Also A Viewer From New York
Review: I,too, was in attendance at the Rainbow Room performance of Jane Monheit. Part way into the program, the overhead lighting fixtures started to explode, showering glass and sparks on the people below. I thought that Jane carried on with dignity and aplomb. Many seasoned performers would have stopped at the moment. Get the dvd. It is a fine performance.