Local artists play Cafe Django

Cafe Django hosts live jazz concerts every Friday and Saturday evening. The venue has had acts such as classical guitarist and IU professor Atanas Tzvetkov,The Ben Himpel Quartet and live jazz guitarist Cameron Mizell. \nThis Saturday evening, vocalist Janiece Jaffe and pianist Monika Herzig graced the cafe. The two musicians have a 15-year history in Bloomington's jazz scene. Herzig and Jaffe have known each other for more than 10 years and have often performed together.\nShortly after 9 p.m., the sound of jazz began to fill the cozy, crowded rooms. Jaffe performed ballads from her current CD "It Takes Two," as well as popular jazz classics. They began the concert with requests from the audience, such as "Autumn Leaves" and "Blue Bossa," a song from the "It Takes Two" album. As the sounds gained the attention of the diners, the duo took advantage of the laid back atmosphere. They set a romantic mood as they played tunes such as "(It's) Almost Like Being In Love." \nIn tradition of Nat King Cole, Jaffe and Herzig continued with their rendition of "Route 66," a catchy blues song about the Midwest highway, that has been a popular standard since 1946. \nAs the night went on, they played ballads such as "In the Wee Small Hours of the Morning" and "Angel Eyes." "Angel Eyes" is a song originally sung by Cole Porter that Jaffe remade for "It Takes Two." These tunes intensified the emotion of the musicians. Jaffe closed her eyes and listened as Herzig went into her piano solo. Herzig accompanied Jaffe quite well, playing at an appropriate volume but also taking advantage when she played her solo pieces. Jaffe refers to "Angel Eyes" as "one of those darker" ballads. The duo picked up the pace with "Love Is Here To Stay," a tune made popular by many performers, including Harry Connick Jr. \nBetween songs, Jaffe spoke of her love for the music of the late pianist Cole Porter. She also mentioned she and Porter share the same birthday.\nAs the concert came to an end, the pace of the music moved from slow and emotional to upbeat. Jaffe snapped her fingers and smiled as Herzig played the last song, "Bye Bye Blackbird" by Ray Henderson and Mort Dixon. \nThe concert ended on a high note as Jaffe thanked everyone for listening.\nAccording to www.acmerecords.com, Herzig holds a doctoral degree in music education and jazz studies from the IU School of Music and is now a part of the music faculty at IUPUI. Jaffe is a resident of Bloomington and started singing jazz at age 19, according to www.allaboutjazz.com.\nHerzig and Jaffe will be in Indianapolis March 19 at The Jazz Kitchen. They will also be performing March 28 in Bloomington for a concert benefitting Middleway House. Jaffe and Herzig both have CDs available. \nLive jazz is played from 9:15 to 11:15 p.m. every Friday and Saturday evening in the elegant setting of Café Django. There is a $3 cover charge. \n-- Contact staff writer Jacquelyn Janowski at jjanowski@indiana.edu.