BIOGRAPHY

Pianist and singer Jane Potter is a renowned musician and entertainer, performing and recording both with her jazz groups and as a soloist. She is a professor at Berklee College of Music in Boston, where she recently received the 2014 Distinguished Faculty Award for the Performance Division.  She has performed live on National Public Radio, at the Democratic Convention, and on WGBH and WICN radio stations.

Jane’s jazz gigs in Greater Boston include an eight-year run at the Oak Bar in the Fairmont Copley Plaza Hotel, where she was preceded by such greats as Dave Mckenna and Teddy Wilson. In addition to working at the Top of the Hub, Ryles, The Beehive, and Scullers, Jane has accompanied such singers as Joe McIntyre (of The New Kids On the Block), Roland Wyatt (the vocal coach for the Manhattan Transfer), and the Broadway performer Kamal Scott. She performed with baritone Robert Honeysucker for the Aaron Copeland 100th Year Birthday Symposium.

Prior to teaching at Berklee, Jane was on the music faculty at Northeastern University (1996 to 2002). She began her teaching career at Brookline Music School, serving on its Board of Directors while on faculty.

Jane is also a faculty member at Boston University’s Evergreen Program, which promotes lifelong learning for elders in the community. Jane’s classes include: “Titans of Jazz,” “Women in Music,” and “The Great American Song Book.”

Jane performs as a soloist and in duet and trio settings for weddings and parties. These ensembles perform jazz and pop, as well as classical music.

WHAT THEY’RE
SAYING ABOUT JANE

“Her chops are on display on the sole instrumental, her own “Stability,” while she shows some creative arranging skills with a folk-rocky take of ‘What A Difference A Day Makes’  and a bright and earnest ‘Time After Time.’ A bluesy and hip take ‘A Fool There Was’ highlights her writing skills, and her voice is warm and inviting on ‘Everything I Have Is Yours.’ Well dimensioned set.”
– George W. Harris, Jazz Weekly review of “Now I Know”

“Pianist Jane Potter and bassist Dmitry Gorodetsky showed up to play. It seems as if the people running the Oak Bar really want live jazz in the room. Well, that’s what they’ve got…”
– Stu Vandermark, Boston Jazz Scene

“Is Ms. Potter primarily a pianist, composer or vocalist?  I guess it’s the same as trying to categorize Cole Porter to a single category.  She seems equally adept and at home in each.”
– Norman Vickers, Jazz Society of Pensacola review of “Now I Know”

“In a word, wow. The music was perfect. Well-balanced play list, great musicians. A joy to have them at our event.”
– D. Hyde, testdevices.com

“Our GM Terri Wright passed on your CD to me for review … I really like your take on ‘Time After Time’ and will be putting it into my rotation starting immediately.”
– Dave Fries, WFIT-FM, Melbourne, Florida

“Your trio was sensational. Everyone I talked with loved the band.”
– Mark Sutton, Velocity Development Group, LLC

“Wow, and she sings too! Really enjoyed your CD. You can’t imagine how many wannabe jazz singer CDs I get every week, so it’s a pleasure to get one like yours. Trio sounds great and I do like your voice and compositions. You’re going right in the regular rotation at KSVY!”
– Bill Moody, KSVY-FM, Sonoma, California

“Jane is a hard teacher but a very thorough one and knows how to make the subject palpable and enjoyable. She is very skilled in the area and that helped us all get our acts together. If a pigeon follows around a dog it will soon learn how to bark, and Jane had us all barking like crazed pitbulls by the end of the semester.”
– Course evaluation comment from a Berklee College student

“She has mastered the fine art of balancing her vocals and her keyboard work so that each enhances the other. Her laid-back sense of time helps the music breathe when she’s singing. Her piano chops are strong and adventurous in vocal-free segments.”
– Ken Franckling, Jazz Notes review of “Now I Know”

“You were, are, fantastic … ears should burn. Alssid, who runs Evergreen, and I agreed, you are the best. Teaching obviously has polished your innate skills, and the piano playing is a 10, but you have a gift speaking –explaining-demos. Wish I still had a weekly NPR radio gig. So much of what we do people love, and is not offered anymore.”
– Virginia Eskin, world-renowned pianist, music educator, and NPR radio host of “A Note To You.”