Five For Five For Five
Although the judges of five recent juvenile industry awards may have been lulled to sleep while testing out the five albums from Jazz For Babies, they shook themselves awake enough to pour on the praise for the excellent music before nodding off again. Across the pond, American-born, London- based musician, professor and recent father, Michael Janisch, was elated. Janisch is the ringleader of the acoustic music played by world-class musicians, and he’s produced an incredible array of slow and soothing renditions of the world’s most beautiful songs as part of five remarkable album-set named under the banner Jazz For Babies, the new children’s music division for his critically-acclaimed Whirlwind Recordings, who are already busy producing four more albums to add to this new 5 album set.
Music is an international language, passed down from generation to generation. Those early sounds heard by baby create a bond that lasts a lifetime. But not everyone’s music tastes include Wheels on the Bus or Frere Jacques. In the wee hours of the morning while calming a fussy baby, sleep-deprived moms or dads have been turning to the calming sounds of guitar, grand piano, trumpet, vibraphone and saxophone. In each of the five Jazz For Babies albums, parents may hear a familiar movie tune, the latest pop song or a classic standard — acoustically — without lyrics. It not only mellows baby but calms mom or dad so everyone can get back on track.
The five albums launched earlier this summer in England and the U.S. and picky judges are unanimously giving two thumbs’ up to the new music, especially amazing for a new producer in a very tough market. Here are the results from five recent awards:
Parent’s Choice Silver Award
Fall 2013 Audio Awards—All Ages (only Silver Honor for this category)
“Do not—I repeat, do not—play any of the five CDs in the Jazz for Babies series while driving. These quietly beautiful soft jazz standards are arranged specifically for lullaby listening and extreme relaxation, and sleep will most likely ensue, no matter a listener’s age, after listening. Jazz musician Michael Janisch explains in his liner notes that his inspiration for the series was his unsuccessful search for lullaby-like jazz recordings to play as a healthy developmental tool for his unborn baby. With or without that analytical framework, these recordings stand on their own. Each CD in the series is framed around a different acoustic instrument—guitar, trumpet, saxophone, vibraphone and piano. Expert musicians include specialists on each featured instrument, Janisch on double bass, and Steve Hamilton on grand piano. Some tracks repeat on some CDs; all of them include “A Child is Born” and “God Bless the Child.” A sampling of other tracks: “Stardust” and “Georgia On My Mind” (guitar), “Smile” and “Unforgettable” (trumpet), “Tenderly” and “All the Things You Are” (vibraphone), “When I Fall in Love” and “At Last” (saxophone), “Moon River” and “I’ll Be There” (piano).”

Review written by Lynne Heffley, who was a staff writer for 25 years at the Los Angeles Times where she established and maintained the paper’s first weekly children’s arts and entertainment beat and was a general arts reporter. As a freelance writer and editor, Lynne is currently working in the arts and family entertainment fields.
National Parenting Publications Awards (NAPPA) Honors Award, Music Category
“With his Jazz for Babies CD series, Michael Janisch has come up with an ingenious idea for lullaby music. The CDs are stocked with gently-played acoustic renditions of well-known jazz tunes, American standards and pop hits. (like “Georgia On My Mind, “You Are My Sunshine” and “Isn’t She Lovely”) that are soothing for babies as well as frazzled parents. The series’ discs, which include individual albums focusing on guitar, trumpet, piano and saxophone instrumentals, are uniformly strong. The vibraphone CD, however, stands out slightly from the others. Not only does the music convey a wonderful calming vibe, but it also spotlights an instrument that isn’t as heard as much nowadays as the others.” ~ National Parenting Publications Awards Music Judge, Michael Berick
Dr. Toy’s 10 Best Audio/Video/DVD 2013
Dr. Toy’s 100 Best Children’s Products Award Program for 2013
This pair of awards from Dr. Toy makes the award tally six, but who’s counting? Recognizing the very best in children’s products for over 30 years, Dr. Toy said, “This innovative series offers pleasing jazz that soothes and relaxes baby and parents and helps the entire family relax, get more sleep, and feel better.”
Creative Child 2013 CD OF THE YEAR AWARD (only one top award given per category)
Baby CDs category
One of the judges commented, “These ‘must have’ lullaby CDs will relax both parent and child with their wonderful jazz arrangements…a worthy top winner.”
Tillywig Music & Audio Awards, Fall 2013 “All Ages” category Brain Child Award
“Having some of the most beautiful songs ever recorded at your fingertips, arranged as soothing jazz lullabies, would strike most parents as a godsend. And it is. Calm and serene can be precious commodities in households with young children, and each of the songs on the five albums in this set evokes a similar feeling of utter relaxation. Acoustic instrumentation, crystal-clear harmonies and melodies, slow, soothing tempos, and song selection all play a part in this. The Piano Album consists solely of acoustic piano and double bass, while each of the other four albums (The Guitar Album, The Trumpet Album, The Saxophone Album, The Vibraphone Album) adds a single acoustic instrument to the
piano and double bass. The 75 tunes range from pop songs like John Lennon’s ‘Imagine’ and the Jackson Five’s ‘I’ll be There’ to eternal standards such as ‘Body and Soul’ and ‘God Bless the Child’. What you put in your children’s ears will inform their musicality, creativity, and temperament for years to come. The music served up by Jazz For Babies takes that future into account while promoting a calm, satisfying atmosphere in the present.”
Jazz For Babies makes the perfect baby shower gift or newborn present that new parents will thank you for night and day. Best of all, gift givers and parents-to-be can sample every song on the various 15-track albums online at www.JazzForBabies.org for risk-free buying. The lush instrumentals are so captivating, parents have been known to listen to them in the car — solo!
The interactive website, www.JazzForBabies.com, allows parents and grandparents to hear a snippet of each title, a total of 75 songs spread over five albums. The physical CDs can be purchased either at Jaazzforbabies.org, or at Amazon.com, great for a boombox in your child’s room or playroom, or in your car’s CD player. For families that prefer a family Playlist on their iPod, iPhone or smartphone, be sure to download at the iTunes store.
Amazon (physical CDS)
Piano Guitar Saxophone Vibraphone Trumpet
iTunes (digital downloads, $9.99 each)
Piano Guitar Saxophone Vibraphone Trumpet
Check out full length songs from the playlist at the company’s YouTube channel. The song lists appeal to every generation and covers all of the classics such as the Jackson 5’s I’ll Be There played on The Piano Album with a calming mix of double bass and grand piano. On the same album, Moon River and Just The Way You Are round out the 15-track playlist.
Typically, baby calming music features computer-produced, synthetic sounds, etc, but not Jazz for Babies! Adults and children alike instantly notice the difference and love Jazz for Babies for its acoustic instruments, a rarity in calming baby music.
As a producer and record label owner for Jazz For Babies, dad to a toddler and a newborn Janisch says he couldn’t be more thrilled to be honored with so much prestigious recognition so soon after his albums’ launch: “I’m well aware that American consumers have lots to choose from for music for their babies and their families. I’m tickled to be recognized by these outstanding groups as having put out top quality music.”
In addition to award recognition, Jazz for Babies is winning praise from the best American mom bloggers.
“These CDs are very well put together and our family has been enjoying them. Our daughter especially likes the Saxophone Album. Be sure to check out her favorite song on it, ‘When I Fall In Love.’ As far as I know, she’s never heard it before but is really enjoying dancing her bear around the living room to it,” wrote prominent mom blog Emily Reviews. “We’ve never listened to Jazz music previously but the kids and I really enjoy these CDs. They make great background music when you want to have relaxing tunes flow through your home. Our children also listen to a CD each night as they head to bed as it calms them and seems to help them fall asleep faster. Whenever we forget to put one on, it takes about 10 minutes before someone is calling us back into the room to do it. If the music would have been on, the kids would usually be sleeping in that amount of time. If you’ve never used music to soothe and relax before bedtime, give it a try.”
Parents and gift givers can choose a physical album ($14.99) for the car or nursery or can download an MP3 album ($10.99) to play on a digital device. Pick and choose individual tracks to create your personalized playlist at just 99 cents.
Order online at www.JazzForBabies.org or directly from amazon.com and the iTunes store by searching for Jazz for Babies. All five are available as a set for a special price of $57.45 for CDs or $37.45 for digital albums at http://www.jazzforbabies.org/great-value-5-album-instrument-themed-set/.
The music is so enjoyable sometimes adults play it when baby is not around! Theorizes Janisch, who plays the double bass featured on all five jazz albums, “the songs on our albums mean so much to people of all ages around the world. We want parents to enjoy our music when they are with their babies and also when they are not. So whenever you want some beautiful and calming music to set the right mood, just push play!”
Follow Jazz For Babies on social media outlets Twitter and Facebook for the latest news and reviews.

ABOUT JAZZ FOR BABIES
Wisconsin raised and now London-based Michael Janisch is an award winning freelance bassist and Professor of Music who created Jazz for Babies by an instinctive desire to expose his daughter to high quality baby music from the earliest age. Not being able to find such music of suitable quality, he produced it himself. Each of the albums is recorded live in an award winning London studio with further post production sound-work undertaken by four time Grammy-nominated engineer Tyler McDiarmid, a long time musical associate, friend and a proud father of three. This results in masterfully produced albums that boast a pristine sound quality like no other baby music product anywhere in the world. All albums are specifically designed and recorded so that the intricacies of the beautiful instruments sound incredibly clear — even at low volumes as parents send baby to sleep.
The entire Jazz for Babies music collection has established a unique place in the world of baby music by abandoning computer-produced, synthesized and mechanical sounding recordings, mobile toys and dreaded music boxes in favor of acoustic instruments performed by world class musicians. For more information or to order online, visit www.JazzForBabies.org.
