Jan Shapiro

Jan began her music studies at the Saint Louis Institute of Music and continued by earning her Bachelor’s degree, graduating Cum Laude from Howard University, Washington D.C. and completing a Masters degree from Cambridge College, Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Her first major engagement at the Playboy Club in Saint Louis lasted more than six months–until she and her group went on the road, touring extensively. Subsequently she performed at the Camellia Room in the Drake Hotel, Chicago, the Hyatt Hotels in Washington D.C., and Atlanta, The Top of The Tower Club, New York City, Marriott Hotels in Florida, Washington D.C. and St. Louis, the Chase-Park Plaza Hotel, St.Louis, various Sheraton Hotels and Ramada Inns, and numerous hotels, supper clubs, and jazz clubs in Boston and the New England area.

Jan was the guest vocalist for the prestigious Boston Globe Jazz Festival in 1987 and in 1990, leading off the Festival in 1990.

As a musician, Jan has developed competence as a vocalist, flautist, electric bass, piano and keyboards as well as percussion. She is versatile in style, singing jazz, soft-rock, pop, blues, and ballads with equal elan.

As a songwriter, she has written and collaborated in writing some of the songs she performs. In addition, she composed the score of “Tales of Toyland”, a children’s production of Bob Kramer’s Marionettes of Saint Louis, which toured nationally.

”Shapiro's flexible soprano, which glides along the clouds and flies gracefully on helium-dusted wings, becomes more affecting as the album plays on; the final track—Jones' “Company”—completely melts the heart.By and large, Piano Bar After Hours proves to be a compelling listen. Shapiro's skills as singer, interpreter and storyteller are on display for all to hear; not just those lucky and talented enough to study with her.”By DAN BILAWSKY

“Piano Bar... is a collection of eleven far-flung songs that Shapiro sings with her experience-informed soprano voice. Where Shapiro vamps a show tune style with Frank Loesser's “A Slow Boat to China,” slowly, perfectly supported by pianist Daniela Schachter, she makes Mark Winkler's lyrics sparkle on “I Keep On Loving You.” She is as effective singing Rickie Lee Jones' “Company” as she is scatting Horace Silver's fun “Doodlin.'” But where Shapiro proves her temper singing almost casually on Loesser's “If I Were a Bell,” where she turns the piece into an upbeat ballad with pianist John Harrison III bouncing right along. “Tell Me” is as experimental as its composer with Shapiro interpolating a Jarreau-McFerrin vibe with multi-voice tracking. Shapiro should get out of the classroom more.”C. Michael Bailey, All About Jazz. ”Jan Shapiro is different. Piano Bar after Hours is the fourth recording from the longtime Berklee Vocal Professor and she teams up with six favorite pianist for a series of intimate duets. Solo piano work is dangerous at best as it leaves the artist exposed warts and all. Piano duos are a different breed of trip wire where the ego must be left at the door, the tunes need to fit both players, and the mutual love and admiration allows the music to lead and the pianists to harmonically follow suite.

Shapiro's pristine soprano takes work including “ They Say It's Wonderful” and the Horace Silver classic “Doodlin” to a whole new level. Normally female vocalists/pianists have me at Home Depot looking for the short length of rope and rickety stool depart, not Shapiro.”Bop -N-Jazz

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Primary Instrument

Voice / vocals

Location

Boston

Credentials/Background

Voice faculty , Berklee College of Music-1985-present Voice Dept. Chair , Berklee College of Music 1997-2010 contact Jan via email:[email protected], personal email—[email protected] or by going to www.janshapiro.com