Jazz vocalist Cynthia Bane's hip, understated style and pure vocal tone appeal to a wide variety of jazz fans. Jazz singer Janet Planet proclaimed her, "a star whose voice defines swing, elegance, and taste."

Cynthia's debut album, "Clearly" (Stellar! Sound Productions) provides the listener with an intimate view of Cynthia as a versatile jazz artist. Teaming up with renowned pianist John Harmon, along with Andy Sachen (bass), and Mike Malone (drums), Cynthia skillfully delivers jazz standards, bebop vocalese tunes, and ballads with warmth and authenticity.
 

Cynthia, a professor of psychology at Wartburg College in Waverly, Iowa, took an unconventional path to vocal jazz. Growing up in Iowa, she played the French horn throughout high school and at Luther College, where she played in the concert band while earning a bachelor's degree in psychology. She continued playing in community bands and pit orchestras for high school musicals while pursuing a Ph.D. in social psychology at Miami University. A stroll through a Pottery Barn in Columbus, Ohio, where recordings by Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong played in the background, sparked her interest in jazz. She immediately scoured the jazz cd collection at the local public library and checked out the cd with the hippest looking cover: Hank Mobley's "No Room for Squares" (cover designed by legendary photographer and graphic designer, Reid Miles). In addition to Hank Mobley, she became a fan of Lee Morgan, Anita O'Day, Chet Baker, Cannonball Adderley, Irene Kral, Miles Davis, and Lambert, Hendricks, & Ross..

In 2007, Cynthia attended Tritone Jazz Fantasy camp in Door County, Wisconsin as a vocalist. At Tritone she met faculty members John Harmon (piano), Janet Planet (vocal), and Tom Washatka (saxophone), who encouraged Cynthia to record and collaborated with Cynthia on the "Clearly" album. 

Cynthia has performed at the Fox Jazz Fest in Menasha, WI with John Harmon (piano), John Gibson (bass), and Zach Harmon (drums). She also was a featured performer at the Jazz at the Trout concert series at the Trout Museum of Art in Appleton, WI with John Harmon (piano), Mark Urness (bass), and Dane Richeson (drums). Cynthia performs locally in Northeastern Iowa with the Bluetone Jazz Collective.

Photo credits: Top photo (with Ike Sturm at Tritone Jazz Fantasy Camp), Don Jackson

Cast of Thousands Photography