Janiece Jaffe

Raised in Bloomington, IN, Janiece Jaffe performs as a lesser-known yet skilled jazz vocalist whose understated and tenderly exposed style avoids any forceful projection. Rather than relying on belting or screaming, her readings of standards lean toward delicacy, measured control, and quiet self-examination. The Midwesterner first took up jazz singing at age 19 yet chose not to launch a professional path immediately. Convinced at that same age that further personal development was necessary, she set aside any musical ambitions and devoted the subsequent 15 years to child care. Only afterward did Jaffe complete her debut recording, the 1995 album Keep the Flame Alive. One year later she captured her second project, It Takes Two, issued by Catalyst in 2000.