Monheit More Than Lives Up to the ‘New Star’ Expectations

The “new star” label can be a tough challenge for a young artist. Expectations are high, criticism lurks in the bushes, and the demand for maturity from a still-forming creative persona is ever present.

Jane Monheit, however, cruised through these rocky shoals with consummate ease in her opening set Thursday at Catalina Bar & Grill. Opening a much anticipated four-night run--her first extended engagement in the Southland--she captivated the packed house, generating one standing ovation after another.

This, despite working with an ensemble that was relatively unfamiliar to her: pianist Bill Cunliffe, bassist Robert Hurst, drummer Greg Hutchinson and last-minute addition George Harper on saxophone. But Monheit, at 24, is already a seasoned performer, her musicality so well founded that she is fully capable of setting the pace and taking the lead--which she did with charm, grace and humor, her voice and presence easily claiming the center of attention throughout the set.

Most of the program was dedicated to material from her new album, “Come Dream With Me.” But her rendering of the songs seemed to have stronger jazz roots than are always apparent on the recording. Although she did not elect to scat-sing, her phrasing on the quicker-paced numbers--”Waters of March,” for one--was brisk and buoyant, driving the rhythm forward with elegant and irresistible ease.

On other pieces, her interpretive imagination moved in unexpected directions. “I’m Through With Love” was transformed from its usual downhearted delivery into a sardonic anthem of independence--the cry, not of a woman wronged, but of a vivacious spirit, fully prepared to move on with her life.

The ballads were even better. Monheit’s reading of Billy Strayhorn’s “Something to Live For” was an exquisite embrace of every aspect of the song. Moving easily through its arching phrases and unexpected interval leaps, she found the not-always apparent links between the music and lyrics.

Two others--”Blame It on My Youth” and “Over the Rainbow”--were equally stunning. And, in the gently swinging Antonio Carlos Jobim bossa nova “Wave,” she used her crystal clarity to deliver lines that floated airily above flowing, samba-styled rhythms.

Monheit’s perfect pitch, articulate vocal control and harmonic insights made it possible for her to rove across the melodies, maintaining contact with their essence, but illuminating them by sliding across phrases with melismatic ease.

Some passages were astonishing in the way she moved her tone from a tiny, bell-like sound to a rich, broad, deeply affecting vibrato without having to pause to take a breath.

By the time she finished, the audience, reluctant to let her go, insisted upon an encore--a fairly rare event at Catalina’s. And when Monheit finally left the stage, any reservations about her “new star” status had been firmly and conclusively resolved. More than a star, she is an immense talent.

More than a new arrival, she is an artist with the capacity to grow and mature into an expressive and influential voice for her musical generation.

* Jane Monheit at Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood. Today at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., Sunday at 7:30 and 9:30 p.m., $18 cover for the early shows, $20 for the late shows. Two-drink minimum. (323) 466-2210.