Janelle Reichman plays saxophone, clarinet, and flute in a variety of styles and genres, and has performed with Doc Severinsen, Tim Ries, Ted Rosenthal, Bobby McFerrin, and Bob Mintzer, among many others. Growing up in Ann Arbor, Michigan, she first discovered her love of music when she picked up the clarinet in fifth grade, and would go on to become a multi-instrumentalist.
She is an alumnus of Community High School in Ann Arbor. As a high school student, Janelle was a member of bands that opened for Nicholas Payton’s ensemble and The Jazz at Lincoln Center Sextet, as well as attended numerous festivals around the country, including the Detroit International Jazz Festival, where Janelle was named Best High School Saxophonist.
While in Ann Arbor, Janelle also joined big bands and small groups in surrounding area schools such as Washtenaw Community College and The University of Michigan. The summer of her senior year, she was accepted into Dave Liebman’s International Saxophone Masterclass.
Graduating from High School in 2001, Janelle continued her musical studies at the University of Cincinnati College-Conservatory of Music (CCM), where she was able to study with trumpeter Brad Goode, pianist Phil Degreg and saxophonist Rick VanMatre. While at CCM, Janelle had performances with Ahmad Jamal, Curtis Fuller, Kenny Wheeler, Joshua Redman, and Mulgrew Miller, among others.
In 2004, Janelle was named a member of the IAJE Sisters-in-Jazz Quintet, which opened for Nicholas Payton at the 2004 IAJE Conference in New York, and had performances at the Kennedy Center in Washington D.C. as part of the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Festival. Janelle was also accepted into the Henry Mancini Institute in ’04 and ’05, where she performed with greats such as Maria Schneider, Christian McBride, Ray Buretto, Chris Potter, and Vince Mendoza.
Janelle’s quartet has played club dates all over the Midwest. In 2005 Janelle won a Downbeat award. In the spring of 2006, Janelle began performing with Sherrie Maricle and the DIVA Jazz Orchestra and 5-PLAY as a featured soloist, including a performance with Ann Hampton Callaway at the Toronto Jazz Festival.
In May, Janelle will complete a Masters degree from the Manhattan School of Music, where she has studied with Steve Wilson, Dick Oatts, Bob Mintzer, and Jamie Baum. She continues to work both in New York as well as the Midwest.
