Original Compositions and Arrangements
Sunset | Janelle Finton Original | joygarden
Hideaway | Jacob Collier | Arranged by Janelle Finton
Voice, Trumpet- Janelle Finton
Guitar and Voice- Aron Stornaiuolo
Piano- Eric Stern
Bass- Ben Mini
Drums- Max Marsillo
Vocalists:
Safia Zaman, Vania Junco, Sophia Garas, June Cavlan, Kate Kortum, Kaleen McHann, Joie Bianco
From Janelle Finton's senior recital, March 24th, 2023
Regina | Becca Stevens | joygarden
Lyric Story Guide from debut show
Janelle Finton- Voice, Ukulele
Caroline Jesalva- Violin, Voice
Meghan Stagl- Piano, Voice
Alvin Santner - Guitar
Mary Halm - Bass
Lyrics, Music, Arrangement, Voice, Keys - Janelle Finton, Guitar - Alvin Santner
Violin - Caroline Jesalva, Voices - Maggie Fensler, Meghan Stagl
Lyrics:
The sunset pulls me closer today
It seems to be telling me to stay
But tomorrow I’m going away
I don’t know if I’m going to be okay
Warm pink orange tones reveal their glow
Lights my last walk on this path I’ve grown to know
I’m struggling to make sense of letting go
It’s harder now that palm trees feel like home
The sunset is smiling at me
What does that mean?
Why is it beautiful When I have to leave?
No matter where I go the light will shine
But I’m tired of the time it takes to find
Just when I start to fly that’s when I have to say goodbye
Over and over again this is my life
The sunset is smiling at me
What does that mean?
Why is it beautiful When I have to leave?
When I have to leave, My heart is scattered into pieces
Never fully here or there so
When will I find
When will I find home?
When will I find
When will I find home?
If home is a place, then mine is always changing
If it is the people, then mine keep rearranging
My heart is weary from all of this waiting
Tired of surviving off of moments that keep fading
Can I learn how to make a glimpse of joy sustain?
I’ve forgotten how to see beauty without pain
Does bringing thoughts to light just make my mind more of a haze?
Is keeping them in darkness a safe exchange?
There’s no way to know what tomorrow holds
Each day has enough trouble of its own
In shadows deep and moments sweet,
I look to the Sun for hope
Light has found me, and never lets me go
The sunset is smiling at me
I don’t know what it means
But here amidst these questions
I am learning to find peace
Dancing in the Street | Arr. John Daversa | Orch./Arr. Janelle Finton
Dancing in the Street
Marvin Gaye/Mickey Stevenson/Jo Hunter
Featuring Regina Carter
Performed Live with the Frost Jazz Orchestra
Sea Echo | Jane Tyson Clement | Janelle Finton
Poem by Jane Tyson Clement, No One Can Stem the Tide: Selected Poems 1931–1991
Music by Janelle Finton Recorded live in Helsinki Finland at IASJ
(International Association of Schools of Jazz) 2023
Karlīna Priedēna, Voice - Latvia, Janelle Finton,Flugel and Composition - USA,
Yonatan Hes, Alto Sax - France, Paul Bernewitz, Piano - Germany,
Joav Ganor, Bass - Israel, Robbe Broeckx, Drums - Belgium, Lassi Friman, Guitar - Finland
Jane's words have been dear to me- this specific poem represents making peace with the sea, the way that the tides of being alive continue to ebb and flow, learning how to dance with that instead of fear it, and embracing the present moment as a gift. An echo of the past and future, that doesn't mock, but bless.
Veiled Hope | Janelle Finton Quintet
Janelle Finton - Trumpet
Karli Bunn - Alto Sax
Meghan Stagl - Piano
Marion Mallard - Bass
Nadav Simon - Drums
I Love You | Cole Porter | Arranged by Janelle Finton
Downbeat winning Jazz Arrangement in the 2022 Student Music Awards!
My arrangement of "I Love You" by Cole Porter was first remotely recorded near the end of 2020, and performed live in the fall of 2021. This recording blends the remote layered intro and the live performance together, which is a sonic documentation of the journey music communities have been on through the pandemic; the resilience with love for music and each other that has sustained us through uncertainty. I am so grateful for the wonderful musicians that brought this to life, and the joy that singing brings.
Featuring: Kate Kortum, Safia Zaman, Joie Bianco, Vania Junco, Abigail Siedell, Janelle Finton, Avery Chapman, Kaleen Barton, and June Cavlan
Produced, mixed, and video edited by Janelle Finton
Runnin' Away | MARO | joygarden
Janelle Finton- Voice, Ukulele
Caroline Jesalva- Violin, Voice
Meghan Stagl- Piano, Voice
Alvin Santner - Guitar
Mary Halm - Bass
All I Need | Janelle Finton Original
A song I wrote to encompass the freedom of knowing that God is with me,
no matter where I am. He is all I need.
Lyrics:
In the waiting and the arriving
Overwhelming and the still
In the joy or in the sorrow
Frightened of tomorrow
In the wings of the morning
The depths of the sea
Among the palm trees or winter evergreens
You are all I need.
When I’m invisible you see me
In the numbness or the feeling
In adrenaline or in depression
Isolation and temptation
You hold my hand and hold me fast
When I run away I’m found in your grace
Your warm embrace
You are all I need.
Voice - Janelle Finton Piano - Beau Cornelius Bass - Mike Ramos Drums - Max Marsillo
Audio and Video production by WDNA Radio, recorded live in Miami on May 13th, 2022
Coffee Moments | Janelle Finton Original
A song I wrote about all the little moments that bring a renewal of joy, and remind us of the gift it is to be alive!
Trumpet - Janelle Finton Piano - Beau Cornelius
Bass - Mike Ramos Drums - Max Marsillo
Audio and Video production by WDNA Radio, recorded live in Miami on May 13th, 2022