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Janet Planet

About Me

Janet Planet.Jazziz Magazine hailed her as a "Voice of the New Jazz Culture...amazingly powerful voice with seemingly limitless expression". In her career, Ms. Planet has performed with legends such as Jackie and Roy, George Benson, and her mentor Nancy King, and shared the stage with many other accomplished jazz artists including Ellis Marsalis, John Harmon, Gene Bertoncini, and Marian McPartland. Janet is also on the staff of the Tritone Jazz Camp and teaches voice privately as well as conducting clinics.

Planet frequently shares with students and others her knowledge of vocal technique, jazz history, performance careers, and the music business, bringing to this experience her perspectives as a woman and artist. A busy concert schedule has taken her to performing arts centers, opera houses, colleges, universities, jazz festivals and jazz clubs across the USA and internationally, with appearances in Europe and Japan where she co-founded the First Fraternity of Musicians in the city of Nagasaki in 2000.

Janet Planet has been paying her dues and studying the craft of singing for over two decades, steadily building a career that began with a high school talent show performance. Her 1985 Seabreeze release, 'Sweet Thunder' brought Janet to the attention of Steve Allen who wrote, "There are so many dumb and inarticulate singers today and it's a pleasure to hear someone who knows what singing is all about". As the past century closed and a new one began, music critics have noted her arrival as an accomplished artist.

While technique sometimes gets in the way of creative jazz singing, Planet employs her faultless technique to the service of phrase and text. Words count, and are never shorted, her clear but easy diction exploring surfaces and recesses alike. Her ability to support the tone and sustain a long line, tells time after time. And, in every ballad and every samba, the sheer beauty of her tone takes her performance to a level of its own. Still, she can brandish heat and steel, she brings a special insight and affection to every song. "Janet Planet is now almost certainly the best of today's jazz singers, but even more, she'd earn a high standing in any age."said Erik Eriksson.

Producer, recording artist, for numerous years Janet has served as a session artist. She co-founded Stellar Sound Productions in 1995, a recording label that has consistently earned praise from reviewers for both exceptional artistic content and high production values. Among the Stellar releases are artists, jazz singer/piano duo, Nancy King and Steve Christofferson, Cellist, Matt Turner and pianist/composer, John Harmon. Active in all aspects of the recording business, she owns and operates Steel Moon Recording Studio with her husband, saxophonist/composer, Tom Washatka. A productive recording artist herself, Janet has 23 recordings in her discography to date. Celebrating her Stellar release 'Just Above A Whisper' with guitarist Gene Bertoncini and pianist/composer John Harmon, she performed at Manhattan's Jazz Standard in 2006. Cadence Magazine said: Janet's a cappella opening on 'Close Enough For Love' is all you have to hear to understand how voice and lyric can be heard as one. On 'Like Someone In Love', she displays uncanny vocal virtuosity in unison passages with Bertoncini's guitar...an exemplary hour of music.


My Interests

Music:

Member Since: 12/04/2007
Band Website: www.janetplanet.com
Band Members: John Harmon, Tom Theabo, Tom Washatka, Gene Bertoncini, Dane Richeson, Matt Turner, John Gibson, Danny Lueck, Ike Sturm, Mrs. Fun (Connie Grauer & Kim Zick), Juli Wood...
Influences: Blondie..."I'm not the kind of girl who gives up just like that"

Janet has a "Voice of the New Jazz Culture...amazingly powerful voice with seemingly limitless expression". Jazziz Magazine

"Janet Planet can sing sweet and pretty but she can also come on strong with a big voice that never wavers out of control, even in a naked setting." Cadence Magazine

"When Janet sings, you hear and feel the deepest message of any lyric. With her warmth and clarity and impeccable taste, she sings the most tender ballads, to joyful, swinging jazz and blues repertoire; great musicianship and always moving, a singer's singer". Gene Bertoncini

"Janet’s voice is like a smell, a good smell, a for real smell". Nancy King

Janet Planet Passion from the Wreckage Stellar Sound 2003

"Janet Planet is arguably one of our best jazz singers, and (like so many others), she's not signed to a major label. Though the A&R folks often lack imagination, Planet has plenty of it, put to devastatingly good purpose on this tribute to Lady and Lester. Taken together, the biting, sometimes dissonant, always challenging sax quartet arrangements and Planet's interpretations compel listeners to hear this set of standards in entirely new ways".All About Jazz

"A unique vocalist who swoops and soars, with all emotions considered; Planet has progressive and fusion leanings".All Music Guide

"Am listening to your new cd. Wow- what a project. You can sing girl- is it really as easy as you make it sound? (of course not! I know!!) but you truly have a lovely &intelligent) voice. The arrangements are very cool, very interesting to hear & you blend well w the horns" KARRIN ALLYSON (jazz vocalist).

“While technique sometimes gets in the way of creative jazz singing, Planet employs her faultless technique to the service of phrase and text. Words count, and are never shorted, her clear but easy diction exploring surfaces and recesses alike. Her ability to support the tone and sustain a long line, tells time after time. And, in every ballad and every samba, the sheer beauty of her tone takes her performance to a level of its own. Still, she can brandish heat and steel, she brings a special insight and affection to every song. Janet Planet is now almost certainly the best of today’s jazz singers, but even more, she'd earn a high standing in any age.” Erik Eriksson

Review of performance at Manhattan’s Jazz Standard in 2006.

Review: “Song Book arranged with joy and freshness. This is a night on angel’s wings and a time for holding hands , a time for jazz , bossa , scat , and all great music . This is a CD that all guitar players and lovers of guitar will appreciate . The interplay of Bertoncini's guitar and Harmon's piano meshing with Janet Planet's superlative vocals will create a long lasting memory.”

“Janet’s a cappella opening on “Close Enough For Love” is all you have to hear to understand how voice and lyric can be heard as one. On “Like Someone In Love”, she displays uncanny vocal virtuosity in unison passages with Bertoncini’s guitar.....an exemplary hour of music.” Cadence Magazine April 2006



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Sounds Like: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PZMgdy5E8p8
Record Label: Stellar
Type of Label: Indie

My Blog

Christian stuff

Yes, I'm a follower of Jesus Christ.Not of war,Not of the political mess MAN has made of the concept of LOVE, COMPASSION, INTEGRITY and FORGIVENESS.It's a cryin shame that in these days when a person ...
Posted by on Sat, 23 Jun 2007 10:12:00 GMT

Stellar Pick of The Week! (My Weekly Radio Program)

To listen to my weekly radio program just go to my website - http://www.janetplanet.com/ and click on the 'Stellar Pick of The Week' link on the home page. You'll be able to listen to all of our previ...
Posted by on Fri, 13 Apr 2007 08:06:00 GMT

Wonderful Review of 'Ava'

Live Performances: JazzEmerson Cultural SeriesUnitarian Universalist Fellowship ofDoor County, Sister BayMay 2, 2006, 2006Harmon & Planet's "Ava: A Jazz Operafor Singer and Accompanist"This was the wo...
Posted by on Thu, 12 Apr 2007 21:09:00 GMT