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#1 Jazz CD nationwide —JazzWeek
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JACKIE RYAN "You and the Night and the Music" with special guest RED HOLLOWAY (OpenArt #OA07292) Released: August 2007  Song List / Listen:
vocals JACKIE RYAN BUY this CD now at : |
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#1 Jazz CD nationwide - JazzWeek **** 4 STARS Excellent - DOWNBEAT | ||
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JAZZTIMES You and the Night and the Music CONFIRMS RYAN's STATUS AS ONE OF THE OUTSTANDING JAZZ VOCALISTS OF HER GENERATION AND, QUITE POSSIBLY, OF ALL TIME. She is the thoroughbred vocal equivalent of the Triple Crown, rivaling the dexterous sass of Sarah Vaughan, the instinctive smarts of Carmen McRae and the scintillating verve of Diana Krall. The fire igniting the title track is as bracing as the bounce beneath both "The Best Is Yet to Come" and "I Just Found Out About Love," and her "Wild Is the Wind," aching with tousled desire, is arguably the finest ever recorded. Ryan ably navigates the misty dreaminess of Marilyn and Alan Bergman's too-rarely-heard "Moonlight," nods to the Mexican half of her heritage with a buttery "Bésame Mucho" and infuses "While We're Young" with a fractured tenderness that is mesmerizing. But, among these 14 superb tracks, none showcases Ryan's vocal beauty quite as enchantingly as a velvety treatment of Dave Frishberg and Johnny Mandel's haunting "You Are There," with only Carol Robbins' gentle harp as backing. — Christopher Loudon, JAZZTIMES
Baker & Taylor's CD HOTLIST - HIGHLY RECOMMENDED JACKIE RYAN HAS ONE OF THOSE RICH, POWERFUL VOICES THAT CAN MAKE EVEN THE GENTLEST INVITATION SOUND LIKE A ROMANTIC COMMAND -- check out, for example, her strongly swinging take on "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," a song that is usually interpreted in a softer, more wistful style. But who needs one more wispy-voiced jazz waif? Ryan's wise to use the power she's got... Highly recommended.
— Rick Anderson RYAN AND THE BAND STOP AT NOTHING TO DELIVER A SMOOTH AND SWINGING PROGRAM... EVERY SONG IS AN EXCITING ADVENTURE... Jackie Ryan's latest CD goes beyond normal expectations. She's already proven her talent and skills as a jazz singer... and she uses some of the premier musicians in the business. Ryan and the band stop at nothing to deliver a smooth and swinging program. Among items I liked best: "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To" has Hendelman leading the band with perky jazz riffs in unisons as Holloway's sax gives Ryan a fine intro. Her perfect enunciation gives sparkle to the tune, with some strong scatting. "Wild Is the Wind" is an emotional powerhouse. Every song is an exciting adventure . I highly recommend the CD as one of Ryan's best efforts. — Glenn A. Mitchell, LA JAZZ SCENE A SEXY, JAZZ VOCAL OUTING THAT'S SIMPLY A MUST FOR JAZZ VOCAL FANS... Time again for loving us some Ryan, but this time a little harder. Coming in with a well rounded set of classics, delivered in full throated glory, she's surrounded herself with some real jazz pros that are up for the task of making this one of your faves. You would think this ground has bene trod pretty well, but Ryan has a brand new plow and her blade cuts deep.
— CHRIS SPECTOR, Editor and Publisher ALLABOUTJAZZ.COM — HIGHLY RECOMMENDED. "YOU AND THE NIGHT AND THE MUSIC" IS A TREASURE. THIS CD IS SO GOOD THAT PICKING HIGHLIGHTS IS PURELY A MATTER OF PERSONAL TASTE...THE SINGER IS EXCELLENT, THE BAND IS CRACKLING, AND THE GUEST IS A LEGEND. Ryan is classy and warm, with a supple, rich, wide-ranging voice, great phrasing and time -- and the ability to make you believe everything she says. Consistently excellent, gimmick-free, alternately exuberant and moving, You and the Night and the Music is highly recommended.
On most vocal recordings, singers are accompanied by their usual band, perhaps with a famous guest sitting in for a track or two. If the singer and band are good, the result is pleasing—but when the singer is excellent, the band is crackling, and the guest is a legend, it vaults the whole enterprise into an altogether different category. All of these elements are here... Ryan is an excellent singer: classy and warm, with a supple, rich, wide-ranging voice, great phrasing and time and the ability to make you believe everything she says. This CD is so good that picking highlights is purely a matter of personal taste. To these ears, the peaks include the swingers "You'd Be So Nice..." and "Let There be Love" (Red!!), the rarely-heard "Moonlight," rendered as a luxurious bossa, and Hendelman's blazing solo on "The Best is Yet To Come." Then there are luminous ballads "Wild is the Wind," "Never Let Me Go," and "You Are There," which Dave Frishberg has identified as his favorite of all the lyrics he's written. I also appreciated Ryan's sensuous, fully-ripe approach to "Besame Mucho"—it's high time somebody seared the clichés off that tune and revealed how beautiful it really is. This CD will create legions of new fans... Consistently excellent, gimmick-free, alternately exuberant and moving, You and the Night and the Music is a treasure... highly recommended. —Dr. Judith Schlesinger, AllAboutJazz.com August 27, 2007
VOICE OF AMERICA ARE YOU IN THE MOOD FOR A GREAT JAZZ BALLAD?... Look no further than vocalist Jackie Ryan, who delivers a fresh take on classic love songs on her new CD, You and the Night and the Music. Jackie Ryan's love affair with love songs began when she first heard legendary vocalists Ella Fitzgerald, Sarah Vaughan and Jon Hendricks on a local jazz radio station. It didn't hurt that her parents were both singers who encouraged their daughter to perform. By age 15, she was singing and composing in dance bands before embarking on what Jackie refers to as her "life on the road." Jackie Ryan is no stranger to the road, having performed in Europe, Asia, Canada and the U.S. "This was how I learned jazz, by living it. The road was my school," she explains. As producer of her latest album, Jackie Ryan had total creative control. She chose the songs she wanted to record, the arrangers she wanted to record with, and the musicians for her backup band. And Jackie is right at home singing sultry ballads such as "Never Let Me Go," or Latin jazz on "Besame Mucho."
—Doug Levine. VOANews.com, Washington - 08 August 2007
AllAboutJazz JACKIE RYAN IS THE LIVING DEFINITION OF A JAZZ SINGER. BLESSED WITH A VOCAL PURITY REMINISCENT OF ELLA FITZGERALD, AND AN IMPRESSIVE VOCAL RANGE TO BOOT, RYAN HAS EVERYTHING IT TAKES TO BE THE STANDARDS BY WHICH THE NEXT GENERATION OF SINGERS IS TO BE MEASURED. Ryan's got the chops, as she demonstrates on the propulsive "I Know That You Know," but she also has the wisdom and taste to know how and when to use them, something other artists never seem to learn. Her soto voce reading of "Bésame Mucho," with Larry Koonse's exquisite guitar work, will send shivers up your spine. Her duet with harpist Carol Robbins on David Frishberg's "You Are There" is jaw dropping gorgeous, as is her closing duet with Koonse on "While We're Young." Tenor saxophonist Red Holloway drops in for a swaggering version of "I Just Found Out About Love," where Ryan shows she can swing as hard as anyone. There isn't a nanosecond of shallowness, slickness or ennui. Ryan can caress a lyric like no other modern vocalist. She's currently touring, so check her out in intimate settings before she starts selling out the Hollywood Bowl. —George Harris, AllAboutJazz, Oct. 2007 ONE OF THE WEST COAST'S MOST VIVACIOUS VOICES. A GORGEOUS COLLECTION OF STANDARDS, "You and the Night and the Music" is an ideal calling card that should win many new fans for this radiant jazz singer. Saxophone great Red Holloway has performed with Billie Holiday, and his broad, buttery tone serves as a perfect foil for Ryan's husky, sensuous contralto. Jackie Ryan has been busy planting musical seeds, and now she's gathering the succulent fruit. Over the past decade, the Bay Area-based jazz singer has built a sterling reputation as one of the West Coast's most vivacious voices. She's garnered superlative reviews, such as when the Los Angeles Times called her performance "a stunning, multihued vocal tapestry, a convincing display of jazz singing at its very best." Last year Ryan accomplished a bicoastal coup, recording albums in both Los Angeles and New York City. The LA session, a gorgeous collection of standards called "You and the Night and the Music" is joined by alto and tenor saxophone great Red Holloway as a special guest. A product of the 1940s Chicago scene, the 80-year-old Holloway has performed with Billie Holiday, and his broad, buttery tone serves as a perfect foil for Ryan's husky, sensuous contralto. "I love his earthiness," Ryan said. "He adds in those little lines that just kind of lift me up. I always say, people play as they are. This is a happy, soulful, warm person, and that's what comes out of his horn." It's hardly surprising that Ryan and Holloway are keeping company. She has consistently surrounded herself with world-class talent. While instrumentalists often trade horror stories about working with singers, Ryan is an exception. Between her warm and agreeable disposition and her outstanding musicality, she has forged tight bonds with some of the finest improvisers. "Jackie is my favorite singer," said pianist John R. Burr, "Musicians love her because she's such a great musician. Even though she's often singing quite sophisticated music, she brings so much emotion and a real sense of groove to her delivery." "You and the Night and the Music" is an ideal calling card that should win many new fans for this radiant jazz singer with an effortless sense of swing. —Andrew Gilbert, JAZZ TALK Contra Costa Times, August 16, 2007 |
THERE ARE A FEW TRULY SPECIAL JAZZ VOCALISTS ON THE SCENE TODAY WHO CAN RIGHTFULLY CLAIM THE THRONES OF THE LATE SARAH VAUGHAN, CARMEN MCCRAE, BILLIE HOLIDAY AND EVEN ELLA FITZGERALD. IN THAT RARE CLASS IS JACKIE RYAN. On "You and the Night and the Music," she sings one of the best pure jazz sets that I've heard in a long time. Her perfect pitch and three octave range is both emotional and stylish. The songs Ms. Ryan has selected are truly great vehicles for her wonderful voice. Every song she sings is awesome. With her sultry tender alto and sensual looks, Jackie Ryan will cast her romantic spell on you and believe me, you'll like it. This CD is the perfect mood maker, so check her out. — PAULA EDELSTEIN SoundsOfTimelessJazz.com * * * * 4 stars - RECOMMENDED by AMG NO MATTER THE SETTING OR THE MOOD EXPRESSED, RYAN SHOWS THAT SHE IS A FORCE TO BE RECKONED WITH... Jackie Ryan is a talented jazz singer who has a strong, attractive voice and a subtle improvising style. She is in prime form interacting with the great tenor saxophonist Red Holloway and some of Los Angeles' top musicians. The instrumentation changes from track to track with Ryan excelling on tender duets with harpist Carol Robbins ("You Are There") and guitarist Larry Koonse ("While We're Young"). She swings hard on "You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," and puts plenty of feeling into "Besame Mucho." No matter the setting or the mood expressed, Ryan shows that she is a force to be reckoned with. Recommended.
— Scott Yanow, All Music Guide A RECORDING THAT SPECTACULARLY HITS THE AESTHETIC BULLS EYE... "Each of the 14 tracks that make up Jackie Ryan's generously proportioned release portrays a particular emotional stage of a relationship. You're immediately aware of being in the presence of a recording that spectacularly hits the aesthetic bulls eye. Once set, this high benchmark never drops. Ryan's voice -- warm, wine-dark, and capable of exceptional light and shade -- serves interpretations that you'd happily return to again and again." — Peter Quinn, JAZZWISE MAGAZINE (London), August 2007
npr—broadcasting to 26 million each week through more than 800 independent public radio stations.
HEAD OVER HEELS FOR SINGER JACKIE RYAN... Credit Ms. Ryan with fine taste in musical cohorts as well. On her new CD, she features one of my favorite tenor sax players of all time, the timeless Red Holloway, whose fibrous and wailing blues-drenched sound gives her reading of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" added credibility. Jackie Ryan's taste in band mates and material set her apart from the usual album of swinging standards. Swing is a much-maligned concept and can be fatal to musicality when not treated with taste and restraint. Ryan's ability to weave in and out of the beat, anticipating it sometimes, ignoring it at others, is the hallmark of a great jazz singer. Her supple voice can ring like a bell or whisper softly like sweet flavored hookah smoke. And most importantly, she not only has style, she has her own style - the true calling card of a real jazz singer — an endangered species if there ever was one.
—David Was, NPR's Day to Day show - broadcast Aug. 29, 2007
Listen to the review
AN ABSOLUTELY EXQUISITE ALBUM AND A MUST-HAVE FOR ANYONE WHO APPRECIATES THE ART OF REAL JAZZ SINGING In an era where jazz vocalists have gone pop and pop artists try their hand at jazz, it's great to hear the new recording from Jackie Ryan -- a real deal jazz singer. Her rich, mellow voice is perfect for the set of standards offered on her latest recording, You and The Night and The Music. Ryan can swing with the best of them as she does on "Let There Be Love" and the opener, "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To". She also delivers a ballad with great warmth and tenderness, as you'll hear on "In the Moonlight" and "Wild Is The Wind", featuring a beautiful piano solo by Tamir Hendelman. The song arrangements on the album are fantastic, likewise, the recording quality which really allows the singer's voice to envelope the listener. You and The Night and The Music is an absolutely exquisite album and a must-have for anyone who appreciates the art of real jazz singing. —D. Glenn Daniels, TheJazzPage.com **** 4 STARS "Excellent" -DOWNBEAT IF JACKIE RYAN'S DEEPLY IN LOVE, YOU'D GUESS IT FROM HER SUCCULENT PERFORMANCE ON HER RICHLY EMOTIVE FOURTH ALBUM. HER POWERFUL, FINELY NUANCED VOICE FREELY AND DYNAMICALLY REPHRASES MELODIES TO ENVELOP THE LISTENERS IN SPARKLING FANTASIAS. Her supporting cast revels in the love tryst: Red Holloway's burly, extroverted horn adds jazz gravitas and good humor, just as Carol Robbins' harp sprinkles stardust on "Moonlight" and Tamir Hendelman's piano wields draping chords on "Wild Is The Wind." In two half-hour sets -- bookended with formal ballads in duos with Robbins ("You Are There") and guitarist Larry Koonse ("While We're Young") -- Ryan purrs with exquisite enunciation and resonant delivery. Her command of Spanish on "Besame Mucho" and Brazilian panache (Milton Nascimento-like reaches framing "Never Let Me Go") add to her arsenal. —Fred Bouchard, DOWNBEAT
Primetime A&E JAZZER JACKIE RYAN'S CDS ARE A TREASURE AND WORTH SEEKING OUT. Throughout her new CD, You and the Night and the Music, she clearly revels in songs made popular by Ella, Sarah, Nina and Carmen McRae. She's a smooth operator, always in full control, with a burnished, inviting voice and a range like Diane Schuur's, except without the bombast and the theatrics. Her partner in swing is veteran saxophonist Red Holloway whose warm and fuzzy tenor gooses "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" and "Let There Be Love." There's nothing showy about Ryan's style -- she just celebrates the well-worn lyric of each track and sings standards like "The Very Thought Of You" and "Something Happens To Me" with honesty and freshness. While her talented band includes pianist Tamir Hendelman, Christoph Luty (who provides a groovy walking bass line), guitarist Larry Koonse and drummer Jeff Hamilton, Ryan also invites jazz harpist Carol Robbins to play on a couple of tracks (Robbins is a terrifically engaging player and has several outstanding CDs available under her own name).
—Nick Bewsey, Music Editor JACKIE IS TRULY ONE OF THE MOST TALENTED VOCALISTS SINGING TODAY. You and the Night and the Music goes to the front of an increasingly crowded field of newer female artists. I have a feeling that in the decades to come, her recordings will be considered classics. She is a unique artist with impeccable taste and delivery. The fact that she has Red Holloway on this session speaks volumes about her ability to swing! —Douglas Collar, 20 years Producer and Host, Jazz 'til Midnight, WKAR, Michigan State University Jazz Critic's Choice HER NEW CD, "YOU AND THE NIGHT AND THE MUSIC," IS NOT A COLLECTION OF SONGS, IT'S AN ACHIEVEMENT. In the company of some of L.A.'s best, Ryan essays a well-chosen program. Her rich alto voice contains many colors and she uses it with precision and controlled passion. Her impastoed held notes - with just a touch of vibrato - and absolute focus on the song itself, turn these standards into art songs.
— Kirk Silsbee, LA CITY BEAT | |
