Jann Klose

Jann Klose
Background information
Origin Mannheim, Germany
Genres Rock, pop, folk, chamber pop, blues
Occupation(s) Singer-songwriter, musician
Instruments Vocals, guitar, piano, bass
Labels People Records, 3 Frames Music
Associated acts Renaissance, Gary Lucas, Annie Haslam, Jim McCarty
Website www.jannklose.com

Jann Klose (pronounced Yann Close) is an award-winning pop singer-songwriter, who has released four albums and two EPs as a solo artist. Klose was raised in Kenya, South Africa, Germany, and northeast Ohio. His voice is featured in the movie Greetings from Tim Buckley, featuring Penn Badgley and Imogen Poots, released by Focus Features and Tribeca Film. In an interview with Entertainment Tonight,[1] Jann talks about guitarist and collaborator Gary Lucas recommending him to director Dan Algrant to sing in the movie.

His songs have been heard on the Grammy-nominated "Healthy Food For Thought" compilation as well as MTV Cribs and movies "Dead Broke" (Warner Bros) featuring Paul Sorvino, "A Venue For The End Of The World" featuring Dick Cavett and Ian Anderson. He has performed as an actor and singer in touring companies of Broadway musicals, including Jesus Christ Superstar, Jekyll & Hyde, and The Who's Tommy. In 2005, the off-Broadway production Moonlight Interior, a musical based on Klose's music, premiered in New York City.

He has periodically collaborated with members of classical rock group Renaissance[2][3] and tours regularly in the U.S. and Europe. He has opened for or performed with a wide range of artists including Pat Benatar, John Oates of Hall and Oates, Suzanne Vega, Paula Cole, Annie Haslam, Brett Dennen, Rusted Root, Vonda Shepard, Gary Hoey, Jeffrey Gaines, Bret Michaels, Willy Porter, The Strawbs, Rosanne Cash, The Byrds' Roger McGuinn, Marty Stuart, The Yardbirds' Jim McCarty, Elliott Murphy, Pete Seeger and Les Paul.

Early life

Klose was born in Mannheim, Germany and raised in Nairobi, Kenya and Johannesburg, South Africa where he attended grade school. He moved to Hamburg, Germany as a teenager and first came to the United States as an exchange student, attending an American Field Service (AFS) program in the suburbs of Cleveland, Ohio. At this time he began teaching himself the keyboard and subsequently guitar as well as singing and dancing in the high school show choir. He returned to Hamburg, Germany to finish Gymnasium (high school) and started playing out, first in subway stations, the high school's band and then local clubs in Hamburg's Reeperbahn red-light district.

Music career

Between 1998 and 2000, Klose studied voice with composer/conductor and Emmy Award winner David Gooding who had Klose join various ensembles, including the choirs at Fairmount Temple, St. Peter's church in Lakewood, Ohio and the Cleveland Opera Chorus with whom he performed in operas Carmen, La Traviata, Lucia di Lammermoor, Romeo et Juliet and HMS Pinafore. In 2000 Jann relocated to New York City and started auditioning for musical theatre jobs. After three months in the City he was cast as the Pinball Wizard in NJPAC's production of The Who's Tommy and then went on to tour with Broadway's Jekyll & Hyde and in 2001 the European tour of Jesus Christ Superstar.

Black Box EP (2003)

In 2002, Klose met Grammy Award winning producer/guitarist Marlon J. Graves and recorded Black Box EP[4] which he self-released in 2003. Jann and upright bassist Chris Marolf then started touring vigorously in the Northeast and Midwest U.S., developing a loyal following. Black Box EP received adult album alternative and college radio airplay and the title track was placed in the Warner Bros. film, Dead Broke which starred Paul Sorvino and also featured music from David Byrne. The track also received a placement on MTV Cribs. His song "It's Not The Way" off the EP was included on the sampler album, Prambors Hits 3, in Indonesia and led to heavy rotation airplay on Top 40 station Prambors FM in Jakarta, Indonesia.

Moonlight Interior (2005)

Moonlight Interior, an Off-Broadway production, directed and choreographed by Yo-el Cassell, had a sold-out run in April 2005 at the Sande Shurin Theatre. The show centered around Klose's songs which he performed live with Chris Marolf (upright bass) and new band members Patrick Carmichael (drums) and Roberta Piket (keys). The show also included music by Beethoven and soundscapes by Pavel Zustiak.[5][6] Lars Potteiger (keys, accordion) replaced Robert Piket and the group, in various formations, increased touring to over 75 shows per year.

Reverie (2007)

In 2007, Jann began work on his third full-length album Reverie,[7] with producer Stewart Lerman and the guidance of Rob Grenoble at Water Music Recorders[8] in Hoboken, New Jersey. The album featured over 15 musicians and singers, including now band-mates Leah Potteiger (violin) and Megan Marolf (oboe) as well as guest musicians Ryan Scott, Doug Hinrichs, Roosevelt Credit, Pedro da Silva, Dan Brantigan and Peter Sachon. The album was mastered by Dominick Maita (Airshow Mastering).

Partially fan-funded,[9] Reverie gained substantial airplay on Adult album alternative, college, talk, Top 40, Internet and Satellite Radio stations, including Sirius XM and the BBC in the UK. Klose continued to tour, now averaging 100 shows per year and stepping into new markets including California, the United Kingdom, Ireland, Germany and France.[10] Klose's song "Give in to This Life" off Reverie is included on the Grammy-nominated double album, Healthy Food For Thought: Good Enough To Eat (East Coast Recording Co.)[11] alongside works by Julian Lennon, Moby, Russell Simmons, Tom Chapin, Uncle Floyd and cover art by Peter Max.[12]

Doing Time Music Video and Sacrifice EP (2010)

In 2010, Klose collaborated with students at the New York Film Academy for a music video for his song "Doing Time." Directed by Addison Neville the video was shot in stop motion. Together with the video he released Sacrifice EP, his 5th release and 2nd EP.[13]

Mosaic (2013)

Jann Klose's album Mosaic (release date 25 June 2013) was produced by David Bendeth and Grammy winner James Frazee. The album features nine originals and one cover Tim Buckley's Song to the Siren and was mastered by double Grammy winner Warren Russell-Smith. Carrie Newcomer is a guest vocalist and Florian Opahle (Ian Anderson, Greg Lake) and David Bendeth are guest guitarists. MOSAIC entered the Roots Radio charts above Bruce Springsteen, Sheryl Crow and Wilco at No. 22, the album ended up on first round ballots for the 2014 GRAMMY® Awards for Album of the Year and Pop Vocal Album and is the recipient of three 2014 Independent Music Awards. A "Special Edition" of MOSAIC was released on 2 December 2014 and features a total of six bonus tracks, including the unreleased song "Anything".

Touring

Klose has opened for or shared the stage with a wide variety of musicians, including John Oates of Hall and Oates, Pat Benatar, Suzanne Vega, Brett Dennen, Paula Cole, Pete Seeger, Willy Porter, The Strawbs, Rusted Root and the group's lead singer Michael Glabicki, Rebecca Loebe, Gary Hoey, Jeffrey Gaines, Antigone Rising, Melissa Ferrick, Marshall Crenshaw, Jonathan Edwards, Jorma Kaukonen, Dan Hicks[14] and multi-track recording inventor/performer Les Paul.

Klose received invitations to collaborate with Renaissance's Annie Haslam and keyboardist John Tout for a sold out show at the Sellersville Theater, in Sellersville, Pennsylvania. Annie had heard Klose perform at the CD release party for Serenity House (East Coast Recording Co.) which also included works by Ian Anderson (Jethro Tull), Pat DiNizio (The Smithereens), Robert Hazard and Kathy Sledge (Sister Sledge). In 2009 he opened for Renaissance on their 40th anniversary reunion tour at performing arts centers and theaters in the Northeast U.S., including The Concert Hall, The Keswick Theatre and The Trump Taj Mahal in Atlantic City.[2][3]

Jann performed at Martin Guitar's 175th Anniversary concert with Marty Stuart, Roger McGuinn, and Rosanne Cash and has toured extensively with rock troubadour Elliott Murphy, whose band The Normandy All Stars backed him at a show in Le Havre, France in 2009. Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Joey Reynolds regularly featured Klose on his syndicated radio show. WGN Chicago's overnight radio team Steve and Johnnie (Steve King and Johnnie Putman) presented Jann in concert to a full house at the Skokie Theatre. Klose has performed at the annual Jeff Buckley Tribute at Uncommon Ground in Chicago three times (2008–2010) and at Gary Lucas' Buckley Tribute at the Knitting Factory in Brooklyn, NY, March 2011.[15] In October 2011, Jann performed dates in Ontario, with The Yardbirds' and Renaissance co-founder Jim McCarty and former Strawbs/Renaissance keyboardist John Hawken for a Chamber Pop Summit.

Style

Critics have compared Klose to a range of modern day and old school artists including Paul McCartney, Kevin Gilbert, XTC, Elliott Smith,[13] Seal,[16] Paul Simon,[17] Nick Drake, Eric Matthews,[18] Sting, Jacques Brel, Kurt Weill, Francis Dunnery, and a less risque Serge Gainsbourg.[11]

Personal life

Klose currently lives in the Bronx, New York.[16]

Discography

Solo albums
Musicals
Compilations
TV
Film

References

  1. ↑ Directo, Denny (2013). "Artist You Should Know: Jann Klose". CBS Paramount TV. Retrieved 2013.
  2. ↑ 2.0 2.1 Evans, Dale (9 October 2009). "CONCERT REVIEW: Jann Klose, Renaissance at German House". Rochester City Newspaper. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  3. ↑ 3.0 3.1 "Renaissance 2009 Tour Info". Northern Lights Web Site. 2009. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  4. ↑ "Black Box EP". CD Baby. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  5. ↑ Padden, Gene (9 October 2008). "His Harmony for Humanity: Jann Klose brings 'World Music Day' to the 570". Diamond City. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  6. ↑ "YouTube". YouTube. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  7. ↑ "Reverie". CD Baby. Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  8. ↑ "Water Music Recorders". Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  9. ↑ Morden, Darryl (28 January 2011). "Pop Singer-Songwriter Jann Klose Coming to Mint; Appears on Grammy-Nominated Album". CultureMob. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  10. ↑ Torem, Lisa (4 February 2010). "Jann Klose: 16 November 2009 – Chicago". PopMatters. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  11. ↑ 11.0 11.1 "Jann Klose – NAMM Entertainer and Childhood Obesity Fighter". American Blues News. 30 January 2011. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  12. ↑ Jaccarino, Mike (14 January 2011). "Bronx residents Anne Leighton and Jann Klose get Grammy nod for healthy eating CD". NYDailyNews. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  13. ↑ 13.0 13.1 Ayers, Mike (10 June 2010). "Jann Klose, 'Doing Time' – Video Premiere". Spinner. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  14. ↑ Cat, Ross (February 2008). "Rock Report". Retrieved 2009-07-16.
  15. ↑ "The Jeff Buckley International Newsletter". Jeffbuckley.com. Retrieved 2014-06-29.
  16. ↑ 16.0 16.1 Davies, Mike (December 2009). "Jann Klose – Reverie (3 Frames Music)". NetRhythms. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  17. ↑ O'Hare, Kevin (19 July 2009). "Madness, mayhem and melody with Westfield's Killswitch Engage". The Republican Entertainment Desk. Retrieved 2011-02-03.
  18. ↑ Remington, Alexander F. (12 December 2008). "ELLIOTT MURPHY "Notes From the Underground" Last Call Records JANN KLOSE "Reverie" 3 Frames Music". The Washington Post. p. WE08. Retrieved 2009-07-16.

External links