Make every day Valentine's Day with Jackie Ryan
Best of LOVE SONGS (2002-2006)

Whether you are in the mood for a romantic ballad or a passionate bolero or just feel like swinging - soft and slow or free and breezy - young or young at heart - there's more than enough here to keep the home fires burning.

Jackie turns up the heat on this journey through the full range of romantic feelings - from first love's excitement "Now Or Never" to love's lasting memories "When I Grow Too Old To Dream". From the opening flirtations of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" to the sensuous burning desires of "Make It Last". From the amorous musings of "This Heart Of Mine" to the final tender sweet reflections of "While We're Young". All the bases of love are touched - all with stunning arrangements and stellar accompaniment by some of the jazz world's finest musicians.

Selected from three recordings released from 2002 to 2006, this collection is testimony to the breadth of this artist's myriad musical gifts - from rarely heard jazz gems, to poignant soulful ballads - from a sensuous Brazilian love song, to a passionate Spanish bolero - from sizzling swing standards to two originals graced by her own insightful lyrics.

"Singing from the heart," as BILLBOARD aptly states, "Jackie bridges gaps between both geography and generations" and delivers a collection of songs you can both fall in love with... and fall in love to.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Legendary saxmen Ernie Watts and Red Holloway light up the sessions on "Make It Last" and "Let There Be Love,"
• An upbeat take of the rarely performed "Now Or Never," penned by Billie Holiday
• Three Latin songs - one sung in Portuguese and two in Spanish, reflecting the heart of her Latin heritage
• Classic jazz ballads "Serenade In Blue" and "While We're Young"
• Original lyrics for the insightful, hauntingly poetic "Seasons of The Heart" and the jubilant jazz composition "Once in Everyone's Life"
• Guitar and harp duets with Jackie on "When I Grow To Old To Dream" and "You Are There"

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click on titles below to LISTEN

1. When I Grow Too Old To Dream
2. You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To
3. While We're Young
4. Make It Last
5. Let There Be Love
6. Luiza
7. This Heart Of Mine
8. Once In Everyone's Life
9. Bésame Mucho
10. Seasons Of The Heart
11. Serenade In Blue
12. Now Or Never
13. Historia De Un Amor
14. The Very Thought Of You
15. You Are There

vocals: JACKIE RYAN
sax: ERNIE WATTS, RED HOLLOWAY, NOEL JEWKES
piano: JON MAYER, TAMIR HENDELMAN, LARRY VUCKOVICH, LEONARD THOMPSON
drums: JEFF HAMILTON, ROY McCURDY, OMAR CLAY, EDDIE MARSHALL
percussion: LUIS ROMERO
trumpet: ALLEN SMITH
bass: CHRISTOPH LUTY, JEFF CHAMBERS, DAREK OLES, JOHN WIITALA
guitar: BARRY ZWEIG, LARRY KOONSE
harp: CAROL ROBBINS

Make every day Valentine's Day with "one of the outstanding vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time," -JazzTimes Magazine

Featured on NPR, Voice of America, CNN TV enEspañol, and Primetime A&E, "Jackie bridges gaps between both geography and generations," as BILLBOARD aptly puts it, and delivers 15 songs you can both fall in love with...and fall in love to.

Whether you are in the mood for a sensuous Brazilian love song, or a passionate Spanish bolero, a rarely performed jazz gem or a sizzling classic - young or young at heart - these songs will keep the home fires burning. Two-time GRAMMY-Award nominee Ernie Watts and the legendary Red Holloway (sideman to Billie Holiday, B.B. King, Muddy Waters) ignite the sessions with their incendiary sax, backed by some of the jazz world's finest musicians: Jon Mayer, Tamir Hendelman, Larry Vuckovich, Jeff Hamilton, Jeff Chambers and a host of others.

Jackie turns up the heat on this journey through the full range of romantic feelings - from the opening flirtations of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" to the sensuous burning desires of "Make It Last". From the amorous musings of "This Heart Of Mine" to the final tender sweet reflections of "While We're Young". All the bases of love are touched - all with stunning arrangements and stellar accompaniment. Selected from three recordings released from 2002 to 2006, this collection reflects the breadth of this artist's myriad musical gifts.

Sizzling swing standards. Classic romantic ballads like Harry Warren's "Serenade In Blue," and Ray Noble's "The Very Thought Of You." A swinging guitar take of Oscar Hammerstein's "When I Grow To Old To Dream" and a poignant harp arrangement of Livingston/Evan's "You Are There." Gentle Brazilan gems and passionate Spanish love songs - rounded out by two original compositions graced by her own insightful lyrics.

HIGHLIGHTS

• Legendary Saxmen and Trumpet Greats ignite the sessions: Ernie Watts on "Make It Last," Red Holloway on "Let There Be Love" and Cole Porter's "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To", Allen Smith (featured soloist for Benny Goodman Orchestra, Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Peggy Lee) on an upbeat take of the rarely performed "Now Or Never" penned by Billie Holiday.
• Two New Songs with Jackie's Original Lyrics: Jackie's natural affinity for the language of jazz extends deeply into its intricate structures. She possesses a keen ear for jazz phrasing and its internal rhymes, having composed lyrics in such diverse genres as note for note vocalese to the scorching bop sax solos of Benny Carter's "Doozy" and Joe Henderson's "The Kicker," poignant imagery to Barry Harris's seductive ballad "Deep Love," as well as the hauntingly poetic lines found on this CD's "Seasons of The Heart" and the jubilant jazz turns of phrase in "Once In Everyone's Life" (elevated by Noel Jewkes sibilant sax).
• Three Latin songs - One sung in Portuguese and Two in Spanish, Reflecting the Heart of Jackie's Latin heritage: "Both of my parents had what I still think were the most beautiful voices I've ever heard," Jackie says, "My mother, from Mexico, used to sing all of the beautiful Spanish songs. Her voice was like a blossom from her heart, sweet and gentle and full of love." When asked to give the literal meaning of the Latin songs included here, Jackie paused then said, "It isn't always necessary - or even best - to know what the exact words of a foreign song actually literally mean in order to enjoy the song because, hopefully, the melody will speaks for itself. But I've been asked about this so often, I"ll try to interpret their beautiful poetry."

"Jobim's Luiza has been a favorite song of mine to sing ever since I heard it many years ago. It is a poetic song that speaks of a troubadour who, as he goes along on his way under the floating night moon (and full of stars himself), makes up a song for Luiza, his unrequited love. He says that he is only "um pobre amador" (a poor "apprentice" at love) and that she seems cold — but he knows that deep underneath this cold, lives her heart. And so he sings to her to exorcise this passion within him. He asks for her hand, her kiss . . . and describes how the light that comes from her hair explodes into so many colors and that these colors reflect the thousands of feelings that he holds in his heart only for her.

"Historia De Un Amor is a Spanish song I learned from my mother's records when I was young. I wondered about putting this song on a jazz album, but was strongly encouraged to do so by my family and by Larry (who loves it so much that it'd been in his repertoire also). This song speaks of a woman's sadness, now that love is no longer by her side. She says that love was always her reason for living. "Adorarte para me fue religion" means, "to adore you was my religion." In Latin songs, the heart's feelings are not suppressed in the least, so this is the story of love, all that is good and all that is bad, the light and the dark — an Historia De Un Amor.

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