Album Notes

"There is a bubbling cauldron of talent aching for your attention just underneath the radar of celebrity, and one of its representatives is New York's own Jamie Obstbaum."
- Beata Loyfman, Fordham University Observer, March 2002

Area marks the solo debut of singer-songwriter Jamie Obstbaum. This six-song EP was hatched with the aid of producer/musician Michael Leonhart (solo artist, Sunnyside Records, arranger and trumpeter, Steely Dan). The disc also features the stellar musicianship of guitarist David Adler and percussionist Damien Bassman as well as violinist Antoine Silverman and a host of other highly talented musicians. With this recording, Jamie and her band offer a new style to the popular music scene - call it "chamber-pop soul." This sound, a combination of Jamie's soulful voice, strings, upright bass, percussion and electric guitar, has grabbed the attention of a constantly expanding audience.

Jamie has performed as a soloist at both Carnegie Hall and Town Hall in New York City for audiences including the former President Bush. She also performs at some of New York's finest club venues, including Fez, Makor and Mercury Lounge.

As a songwriter, Jamie first gained attention when her song "It's Over," co-written by Antoine Silverman, placed sixth in the first International John Lennon Songwriting Contest. Her band at the time, Methuselah Jones, received acclaim for performances at the CMJ Festival and other New York City venues. As co-leader of Methuselah Jones, Jamie worked with noted producers Patrick Dillett (They Might Be Giants, B-52's) and Rob Stevens (John Lennon Anthology, Yoko Ono).

How did this madness all get started? Well, Jamie's first instrument was a violin fashioned out of a butter box, a ruler and an abundance of masking tape - the bow, a stick. She was for certain the envy of the neighborhood. Eventually weaned off the butter/tape axe, she went on to play a real violin - strings and all, for fourteen years. While continuing to pursue greatness in the classical world, Jamie found her voice in her early teens as a member of the interschool Vocal Jazz Ensemble. In this group she learned that she, known as "the little girl with the big voice," could command attention with her unique sound. This realization gave rise to Jamie's sound today: honest, bold, soulful and strong.

The granddaughter of a cantor and the youngest of three musically curious children, Jamie grew up surrounded by an array of musical styles. All types of music emanated from the family home: from Sondheim to Chopin, Barry Manilow to the Sex Pistols, traditional Yiddish songs to jazz standards. This mix of styles fueled Jamie's creativity and curiosity as a performer. With Area, Jamie has managed to lasso this multitude of sounds into her own personal signature.

NOTE: JAMIE LEONHART and JAMIE OBSTBAUM ARE ONE AND THE SAME! NEW RECORDINGS, NEW BIO, VIDEO, ETC. WILL SOON BE AVAILABLE ON THE WEBSITE.