The transition from writing heady, intellectual jazz compositions to folk songs was the breath of fresh air Janelle Haskell was subconsciously seeking to reinvigorate her career as a musician and creator.

Honing her skills as a saxophonist and clarinetist from a young age in Ann Arbor, Haskell said she became burned out chasing a career as a jazz musician after a decade of living in New York City. Despite earning accolades as a featured soloist with renowned ensembles, including Doc Severinsen and his Tonight Show Band, The Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis, and The DIVA Jazz Orchestra, to name a few, Haskell returned to Ann Arbor in 2016, unsure of her next move as a musician.

With the COVID-19 pandemic isolating her from being able to perform with local jazz ensembles a few years later, inspiration returned when she picked up an old guitar she bought from a Guitar Center in Brooklyn, spawning a new vision for creativity as a folk singer-songwriter as well as a new performing name: the artist born Janelle Reichman dropped her last name and elevated her middle one to become Janelle Haskell.

“The good thing about getting into songwriting at the age of 37 or something is you have a backlog of all of this material. It's kind of just gone from there,” said Haskell.

That backlog of material has yielded a pair of folk albums in the past two years, including her most recent solo album, Dedications & Postcards, which she released in October 2025.

Combining wanderlust and letters-from-afar themes, the album’s songs are written from varying perspectives, from letters to her younger self and an old childhood friend, to dedications to blues guitarist Elizabeth “Libba” Cotten and decorated Olympic swimmer Katie Ledecky.

Haskell said songs for Dedications & Postcards were written during annual trips she’s taken to Phoenix, Arizona, to visit friends over the past three winters. The change in scenery proved to be fruitful, she said, in inspiring songs that fit the album’s overarching theme. Haskell will perform songs from her latest album during a happy hour show on January 8 at North Star Lounge in Ann Arbor.

“I think because I'm in a different place and I'm far from home, I just found that being there lent itself to kind of songs about wanderlust,” she said of her trips to Phoenix. “Those kinds of sentiments just seem to come naturally when I'm there.

“I'm delighted with the second album. I feel like it's really moved forward, and I think it's a lot better in a lot of ways than the first album [This Is Me from 2024]. I'm very proud of it.”

Haskell’s transition to writing folk music has been aided, in part, by her love of writing, she said. She maintains a blog, Short & Sweet, that she updates twice a week, adding that coming up with song lyrics has come naturally to her.

“One thing I've kind of learned through my few years diving into songwriting is that if I don't have a compelling story, if I don't have a compelling reason to be writing the song, it's not going to turn out to be very good,” she said. “That seems to be, for me, the most important thing that I have to have before I even get started.”

Haskell was introduced to jazz while attending Community High School in Ann Arbor. She became a decorated high school jazz musician, leading her to earn a degree in jazz saxophone performance from the University of Cincinnati Conservatory. From there, she made the move to New York City, where she earned her master's, also in jazz saxophone performance, from the Manhattan School of Music.

Over her decade in New York City, Haskell’s work covered everything from the New Orleans sounds of The Redhook Ramblers to soulful R&B in the band ON THE SUN to the Broadway jazz musical After Midnight. Her debut jazz solo album, Middleground, which features 10 of her original jazz compositions as well as an arrangement of "Both Sides Now" by Joni Mitchell.

While her time in the Big Apple helped flesh out her resume, Haskell said she ultimately felt she belonged somewhere else, prompting a move back to her hometown.

“I just never really felt like I belonged there,” she said. “When I got back to Michigan, it just felt like I had the space, both literally and figuratively, to take some time and think about what makes me happy. I just don't think that I could have arrived at this path while in the hustle of New York.”

While being back in Ann Arbor has led her to focus on folk music, Haskell said she’s also embraced living in a more tight-knit community where she can dip back into jazz music when she feels compelled.

In recent years, Haskell has consistently played with Phil Ogilvie's Rhythm Kings at Ann Arbor’s Zal Gaz Grotto Club. Additionally, she’s performed with her quintet at places like the Blue Llama Jazz Club and toured with Ann Arbor jazz pianist Ellen Rowe.

“The nice thing about having played an instrument for over 30 years is it's very easy to just hop back into it,” she said. “It's just second nature. It's been really great and a lovely chance to sort of stay connected with jazz and to still get my woodwind instruments out a couple times a month.

“I think that I definitely feel more at home here, honestly, even in the jazz community here. I like a smaller community where everybody knows each other, and it's felt a lot more comforting to me.”

Martin Slagter is a writer and reporter with 18 years of experience in print and digital media. He also writes about Michigan-based music in his weekly newsletter Radio Amor. 

Janelle Haskell performs on Thursday, January 8, at 5:30  p.m. at North Star Lounge, 301 North Fifth Avenue, Ann Arbor.