Jeanne Newhall

Jeanne Newhall is a well-respected composer and sophisticated vocalist and her vast musical roots have impacted jazz and new age since the late '80s. But before her successful recording career, Newhall's musical dreams were firmly shaped during her early childhood when she began tickling the ivories at age six. The early teenage years of mastering the piano while growing up on a farm in her native Phoenix led Newhall to learn six Mozart concertos by age 15. Opportunities to attend some of the nation's most prestigious music schools such as Julliard and Eastman didn't strike her fancy, however; Newhall stuck with her hometown threads and earned a degree from Arizona State. By the late '80s she was serious about her life in music. 1987's Novice showcased her intricate playing style and cathartic songwriting, but 1990's Conscience sparked Newhall's newfound voice. She tinkered with various styles of folk for Meeting Places (1991), but it was her holiday album Beautiful, for No One to See that gained Newhall a presence among the press. The Gavin Report praised the album, naming it "The Year's Top Synth Entry" for 1991. Paying tribute to French culture and arts, Newhall issued French Cafe in 1992, her first for the Piano Street Series. Fascination, a classics album, followed shortly thereafter. 1994's ambitious musical adventureZebra experimented with worldbeat ambience and honed her skills as a burgeoning singer/songwriter. Two years later, Soul of My Own marked Newhall's first self-production and her finest vocal performance yet, and her appreciation for reggae and bluebeat was most enchanting. Cakewalk also from 1996, was the third installment in the Piano Street Series, and paid homage to W.C. Handy, Eudie Louis Bowman, and Noel Coward. Bedouin's Paradise (1998) was...