It's been five years since the release of Myanna on the saxophonist's own Bridge City imprint, but in that time she hasn't been idle. She won the Best Music Poll jazz category in 1994, and now she's back on top again (she was a runner-up last year). Not only has Myanna been busy in the clubs, she's also been busy putting together a new album, as yet untitled, due to be released in September on the new local label, Vee Records, which will provide her with national distribution.

Myanna's blend of pop and jazz has been an unusual aesthetic success. As a composer/arranger, she prides herself on strong melodies, and her taste for funky grooves, a bold tone, and sharp improvisations distinguishes her from the lesser lights of the "smooth jazz" scene. She recognizes potential in the new album -- for "smooth" radio play of one tune, mainstream jazz on another, AOR for another. But that consideration comes after the fact. "I pretty much write as stuff comes out," she says. "I don't think of the tunes as being all that different from each other. To me they're all just tunes. One might be a samba, one might have a pop beat. Someone with fresh ears might come in and say, `Oh yeah, there's a big variety here,' but I'm not gearing it that way. For me the focus is still the melody. There's solos and improvisation, but the tune's the main thing."

-- Jon Garelick