Jazz singer Jane Monheit has been on the road for seven years.
"It's been one long tour since I started," Monheit said during a telephone interview from her New York City apartment. "It used to be 250 nights a year, but I've slowed down a bit since my father became my manager. I know a thousand genius musicians who can't get a gig, so I'm not complaining. But it all blends together into one giant tour.
"Of course," she added with a laugh, "If I stopped, I'd be broke."
Monheit and her band pull into Mount Gretna Playhouse on Saturday for an 8 p.m. concert.
The 29-year-old with a lush, nuanced voice set out on her perpetual tour in 2000, when her first record, "Never Never Land," was released by N-Coded Music. The album was voted best debut recording by the Jazz Journalists Association.
Since then, she's released five more records. Her latest, "Surrender," debuted May 1 on the Concord Records label. It includes songs by Stevie Wonder, Johnny Mandel and Sergio Mendes.
The slender, dark-haired chanteuse looks beautiful and glamorous in videos, including a lighthearted duet with Canadian sensation Michael Bublé on the Jerome Kern standard "I Won't Dance," and a rendition of "Over the Rainbow," which was included on the "Sky Captain and the World of Tomorrow" soundtrack. (The heart-tugging arrangement was later "borrowed" by "American Idol" runner-up Katherine McPhee.)
Monheit insists her good looks are the work of skilled photographers. "I'm just ordinary, sitting here talking to you without any makeup and wearing flip-flops."
There's an air of modesty about Monheit, despite frequent Grammy nominations and continuous runs at the top of Billboard's jazz charts. As she sneaks up on her 30th birthday in November, Monheit enthusiastically embraces age and experience.
"It'll be a relief to have my 20s over with," she said with her ready laugh. "No one will be able to tell me I'm 'too young' anymore."
Monheit's repertoire includes lots of Jazz Age classics — numbers she began singing in New York clubs and cabarets while she was still in her teens. As a senior at Manhattan School of Music, Monheit was first runner-up at the prestigious Thelonious Monk Institute Vocal Competition.
Since then, she's been playing venues that range in size from 300 to 1,000 seats. She brings her quintet along on every gig, including drummer husband Rick Montalbano.
Praised by critics for her "intensity, elegance and ability to connect with audiences," Monheit said she's delighted to be "part of a genre [of music] that has no such thing as a flavor of the month. You don't have to worry about age the way pop singers do."
Monheit is still on a high when it comes to her new album.
"Usually we have to cut songs, and it's a little like 'Sophie's Choice.' This time, we used all 14 tracks, and most of them aren't melancholy, the way a lot of people seem to think jazz is. Mostly I sing about happiness, which is what I'm feeling."
For more information about Jane Monheit's performance at Mount Gretna Playhouse or to order tickets, call 361-1508.
Marty Crisp is staff writer for the Sunday News. Her e-mail address is mcrisp@lnpnews.com.
