Jeannie has been playing the piano since the early age of 5. Music remains her biggest passion in life. She started performing professionally since age 12, and she began composing music for film as a teenager. She released a CD of original solo piano compositions (Reign of Fire)--and she is currently releasing solo vocal/piano material.

Voice & Piano

Lyrics by Tom Gutchigian:
"Parachute"
This has become a "signature" song for me over the years. The music was written during one of those quick bursts of energy that results in something you look at and think, 'Did I just write that?' And then you're smart enough to leave it alone and not try to "craft" it into something it isn't. . . . My friend Tom sent me a poem and said, "Why don't you write some music to this?" I called Tom in New Jersey and sang it to him over the phone about 15 minutes later! This song is also special to me because it played a big part in bringing me and Luis together.

Lyrics by Hope Levy & Jeannie Novak:
"Magic Carpet Ride"
This is my favorite from the Hope I Dream of Jeannie duo. It was a rework of a "folk" song that Hope wrote. I completely changed the rhythm and melody, and we both added some lyrics to it. I recorded the music in real-time on my Kurzweil PC-88; all the different sounds you hear were played simultaneously. See if you can catch me and Hope trying to sound like musical saws. (Mine is the low voice!)

Solo Piano
Here are just a few solo piano recordings from my first CD and film -- along with an instrumental version of "Paracute."

"Mizar" (from Reign of Fire)
"Parachute"
"Virtue" (from My Excursion in Virtue)
"Awake": This is an improv to an unfinished animated short that I recorded in my spare bedroom.

Works in Progress
The following are recent rough vocal/piano demos recorded in my spare bedroom!

Lyrics by Luis Levy:
"Belle": This song--dedicated to New Orleans--is rough around the edges, but is a very sensitive piece. It's difficult for me to avoid crying while singing it.

"Lightning (Some Way)": This is my favorite of the songs Luis and I have written together; it digs in a bit more than the others because Luis wrote the original poem after a fight :) This one needs a band; it's time to get into the studio!

"Preview": We sang this one at our wedding; Luis wrote the original poem the night he realized that he was going to "get serious and chase" me!