It Takes Two by Janiece Jaffe

As Scott Yanow, Editor of the prestigious "All Music Guide to Jazz" states in the liner notes:

"Although it is tempting to believe that most of the world's jazz talent is based in one of several major cities...Janiece Jaffe, a wonderful singer with a very appealing voice who lives in Indiana and, on the evidence of IT TAKES TWO...already ranks up there with the Big Apple's best.

Few vocalists would take the daring step of recording an album of duets with just acoustic guitar or bass as accompaniment. 'I do a lot of practicing without accompaniment.' says Janiece. 'So I find the duet setting to be quite inspiring.' It also helps to have the ability to immediately hit the middle of a particular note and to have a voice so attractive that listeners do not miss the other instruments."

Dave Nathan, reviewer for the internationally known publication "All About Jazz", in his review of IT TAKES TWO, raved:

"One of the Midwest's most talked about jazz vocalists, Janiece Jaffe, is blessed with an amazingly warm, sweet voice. With an exceptional range and a beautifully tender way of expressing a lyric in an almost achingly intimate fashion, Jaffe brings her vocal gifts to light in one of the most vulnerable of musical situations, the duet, on her latest CD IT TAKES TWO.

Jaffe sets the mood perfectly with a cool, breezy "Blue Bossa", her silky vocals intermingling with the exemplary guitar work of Marcos Cavalcante, who collaborates with Jaffe on a total of six cuts, the aforementioned "Blue Bossa", as well as "You Go To My Head", "La Vie En Rose", "Rain On The Roses", "Just A Lucky So And So", and "Gentle Rain".

For the remaining eight of IT TAKES TWO's fourteen selections, Janiece Jaffe is joined by bassist Tom Hildreth, wrapping gorgeously sinuous lines around tunes like "Angel Eyes", "'Till There Was You", "My Romance", "Blue Moon" and " Harlem Nocturne", "The Nearness of You", "Prelude to a Kiss" and "Lotus Blossom". Inspired by singers Like Janet Lawson, Billie Holiday, Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughn, Cleo Laine, Minnie Ripperton, Joni Mitchell, Betty Carter, Carmen McRae, Peggy Lee, and Bobby McFerrin, Janiece Jaffe maintains an original style and a distinctive voice that touches upon her influences but manages to remain refreshingly unique. Listeners may well be inspired to pick up an additional copy of Jaffe's latest, after all, IT TAKES TWO!"

A third CD, HEART'S DESIRE, was just released in January of 2003. It features Janiece and the Simon Rowe trio, with Rowe on piano, John Huber on bass, and Pete Wilhoit on drums. David Baker, Distinguished Professor of Jazz Studies at Indiana University and President of the International Association of Jazz Educators, said of this CD in his liner notes:

"Simply put, HEART'S DESIRE is a brilliant CD. Janiece Jaffe has a gorgeous voice. The accompanying trio of world-class performers is outstanding. The choice of tunes, and manner in which they are presented, makes for a wonderfully balanced musical offering.

Janiece Jaffe is a marvelous talent. She is sensitive, thoughtful when appropriate, swinging like mad when required, and masterful and sympathetic in her approach to lyrics. The outstanding performances and sound quality make this a CD you'll want to listen to over and over again."

In 1999, Jaffe returned from an acclaimed tour of Japan where she performed with a big band for concert audiences. On her own she has performed at Manhattan's "Danny's Skylight Room" and twice at Washington DC's "Blues Alley", where she performed with Ketter Betts, former bassist with Ella Fitzgerald, who said of Jaffe: "Stop looking to the heavens for new stars. There's a bright star here on earth that shines with her voice." Janiece has also appeared with the big bands of David Baker, Dominic Spera, Al Colbine, Clem De Rosa, and the Midcoast Jazz Project, now known as the Busselli Wallarab Jazz Orchestra. Jaffe was a headliner at the Newburgh Jazz Festival in August 2002. In November 2002, Jaffe and Dominic Spera paid homage to two big jazz legends, Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, in their memorable performance "Tribute to Ella and Louis" at the Buskirk-Chumley Theater (with Al Cobine as a special guest). Most recently Janiece was a jazz headliner for Crystal Cruiselines. Janiece Jaffe performs regularly with Roy Geesa's Cool City Swing Band in Indianapolis, and at Bear's Place and Café D'Jangos in Bloomington, Indiana. Jaffe is a member of the International Association of Jazz Educators, and teaches voice in her home studio.

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