JEANIE BRANDES
2010 | Biography

On the opening track of Kisses You Awake, Jeanie Brandes’ exquisite new collection celebrating the rich tapestry and enduring magic of the Great American Songbook, the savvy and sensual world class singer asks herself the simple question that legendary lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman penned long ago: “What Are You Doing The Rest Of Your Life?”

Starting with a subtle, intimate “What Are You Doing…” and wrapping with the eloquent “Here’s That Rainy Day,” Brandes taps the catalogs of Marilyn & Alan Bergman, Gershwin, Mancini, Johnny Mercer, Rogers & Hart, Jerome Kern and others to create a rich emotional journey that dashes all cynicism and proves that sometimes, just maybe, love conquers all. When Brandes says, “I still believe in love and romance, and jazz offers a sensitive way of looking at romance,” only someone living “A Day In The Life Of A Fool” would be disinclined to believe her.

Brandes’ decision to take a warm and inviting jazz turn in her recording career comes after three critically acclaimed CD releases that featured many original songs: Love In The World I Remember (2000), which was released in conjunction with her bestselling book of poetry with the same name, now in its fourth printing; Soul Serenity (2002), which featured originals penned by Markham and a co-write by Brandes and Markham called “Sweet Celebration”; and a lovely children’s album, When I Look In Your Eyes (2006), which features the classic “Never Neverland” and iconic title track written by Leslie Bricusse. Besides the perfect mix of material and vibrant arrangements, the singer knew that the key to making Kisses You Awake a landmark recording was surrounding herself with the “best of the best” in the jazz world who could inspire her to reach new heights in her own artistry. She sees her brilliant team of veteran jazz musicians not as sidemen but as collaborators.

Another important element was the pure sound that emerged from the always shimmering behind the boards work of famed engineer and mixer Tom McCauley, who had worked on four songs from Love In The World I Remember. His credits include Bromberg, Manhattan Transfer, Joe Sample and The Duke Ellington Orchestra. Another of the noteworthy sonic touches was Brandes’ gift from Paul Levy of Advanced Audio, an M49 Neumann mic that was last used by Barbra Streisand.

“Kisses You Awake is blessed with my brilliant musicians,” she says. “They helped me express the joy in my soul and the passion in my heart. I am excited to have been part of the process of watching them nurture the best they have to offer so that I could give them the best I can be as well. We did it the old fashioned way, live and organically, getting most songs in only one or two takes. The solo Brian created on ‘What Are You Doing…’ was genius and made for a remarkable opening number. Shelly has been with me 15 years and was a true inspiration. His piano solo on ‘Here’s That Rainy Day’ was textured with the most beautiful nuances. He guided me into lyrical intonations he knew I had from all of our years working together. And Tom is the best engineer and a joy to work with.

This project is the culmination of what I have always wanted to achieve as an artist and I found the most amazing men to do it with,” Brandes adds. “I am humbled by this wonderful opportunity to shine and have this extraordinary experience because of them. Everyone was there for the right reasons. This was all about the guys leading me to get to do what singers like Ella Fitzgerald did, and I couldn’t be happier with the results.”

Although Kisses You Awake is the first Brandes recording to exclusively feature standards, its emotional resonance is due in part by the singer’s unique ability as a songwriter herself to do the very thing that made Sinatra such an intuitive artist. It’s a technique known as “turning the lyric.” “It’s a very interesting phenomenon in the jazz world that when people listen, they often think of the music first,” she says. “But as a lyricist myself, I recognize that what legends like Sinatra did best was turn the lyric poetically so that his own life experiences were drawn into his interpretations of words written by others.”

Brandes adds, “In recording this album, this was essential to me, to bring my life to the sessions so that I am telling a personal story in every song. A good example is ‘Moon River,’ which Mancini would whistle and play for me on piccolo flute. Another is Jerome Kern and Oscar Hammerstein’s ‘The Folks That Live On The Hill,’ a song about two older people looking back on their life, which I dedicate with love to my parents. My mom was a singer who brought light and love into my life, and my dad was a pediatrician who loved the symphony. They always brought new music into the house. They knew from the time I was five that I would also be a singer. I knew when I finally had the chance to do a jazz album, the most important thing was to express where I come from and reflect on my extraordinary life experiences.”