Jeanne Newhall is a well-respected composer and sophisticated vocalist and her vast musical roots have impacted jazz and new age since the late '80s. But before her successful recording career, Newhall's musical dreams were firmly shaped during her early childhood when she began tickling the ivories at age six. The early teenage years of mastering the piano while growing up on a farm in her native Phoenix led Newhall to learn six Mozart concertos by age 15. Opportunities to attend some of the nation's most prestigious music schools such as Julliard and Eastman didn't strike her fancy, however; Newhall stuck with her hometown threads and earned a degree from Arizona State. By the late '80s she was serious about her life in music. Novice (1987), a decent debut, showcased her intricate playing style and cathartic songwriting, but 1990's Conscience sparked Newhall's newfound voice. She tinkered with various styles of folk for Meeting Places (1991), but it was her holiday selection on Beautiful, for No One to See that gained Newhall a presence among the press. The Gavin Report praised the album, naming it "The Year's Top Synth Entry" for 1991, sending Newhall's status above and beyond her wildest dreams. She's not one to follow a trend and allows herself to develop her own typesets in music. Paying tribute to French culture and arts, Newhall issued French Cafe in 1992, her first for the Piano Street Series. Fascination, a classics album, followed shortly thereafter, but the ambitious Zebra was wedged in between in 1994. Newhall experimented with worldbeat ambience for a musical adventure on Zebra and honed her skills as a burgeoning singer/songwriter. She continued her charge in the late '90s -- Soul of My Own marked Newhall's first self-production and her finest vocal performance yet, and her appreciation for reggae and bluebeat was most enchanting. Cakewalk (1996), the third installment in the Piano Street Series, frolicked with ragtime and Newhall's homage to W.C. Handy, Eudie Louis Bowman, and Noel Coward was equally impressive. Bedouin's Paradise (1998), Newhall's recognition for Gordon Wagner's poem entitled "Venice" danced around lyrical stories of Venice Beach during the 1920s, but her collaborative efforts with renowned saxophonist Kirk Whalum and guitarist Peter White completed the sonic bliss. The new millennium saw Jeanne Newhall staying close to family ties, particularly on the fourth Piano Street selection Esther: A Classical Piano Tribute. Released in 2000, this album was dedicated to her grandmother and featured some her favorite classical pieces by Beethoven, Dvorak, Bach, Handel, and others. E'Sensual, Jeanne Newhall's classy cool instrumental album, appeared in 2001. ~ MacKenzie Wilson, All Music Guide