Anna Danes's up and down year

“The whole thing was made and produced in Los Angeles at Capital Records,” says jazz singer Anna Danes, on the phone from her home in Solana Beach. We’re speaking of her brand-new release Find Your Wings, which debuted on the iTunes jazz charts at number 1. “I started it a couple of years ago, but I really wanted to take my time with it — I couldn’t rush it. The project was produced by Dave Darling, who has worked with Mötley Crüe and the Stray Cats, but he’s also a huge jazz fan. I found him through my manager, Niels Schroeter, and it was an incredible collaboration.

“It’s a cross between the Great American Songbook and original material. I felt I was at a place in my life where I was ready to write my own music so I did — half of the songs I wrote or co-wrote with Mary Harris and Cindy Alexander and one with Janiva Magness. The rest are standards that spoke to me at that point in my life.”

Taking her time seems to have paid off for Danes. “I’m thrilled that it’s out, and I’m thrilled it hit number 1 when it came out last weekend.... I honestly could not believe it, I was in shock. We ran outside and did a Facebook Live on the sidewalk in Old Town. It stayed at number 1 through the weekend, then it dropped to number 2, and it’s still in the top 20.”

Despite the good news, the singer has had an up-and-down year. “I had a cancer scare this summer,” says Danes. “It was just this freak thing where I had elective surgery and they sent the tissue to pathology where it was found — but they had actually removed everything in the same procedure. So it’s been an emotional roller coaster going through all the testing and making sure they got it all. So there was cancer, there was heartbreak — getting over a long divorce — but now my life is moving forward and I’m looking ahead!”

After the iTunes splash, Danes is busy plotting the next move. “I have a radio campaign going now, and there’s a tour being discussed, maybe even touring abroad — my roots are in Europe. I was born in Poland, and there’s some talk about touring there and in England. Jazz is very popular in Europe, so we’ll see where this journey goes.”

Danes has a San Diego show December 17, playing Jazz on Cedros in Solana Beach.