Search - Jackie Ryan with Cyrus Chestnut;Eric Alexander & Jeremy Pelt :: Doozy

A Broken Record?

Rick Cornell | Reno, Nv USA | 08/25/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"So, here's the deal: I could tell you that Jackie Ryan is quite possibly the most underrated singer in the world today. I could tell you that no less a luminary than Christopher Loudon (the vocal jazz critic for "Jazz Times") declares that Ms. Ryan is one of the outstanding jazz vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time. I could tell you that, for a singer from Mill Valley (north of S.F.) who records on the "Open Art" label, Ms. Ryan has managed to attract some of the finest instrumentalists in the jazz world to play with her. No less than Clark Terry, Toots Thielemann, Ernie Watts, Red Holloway, and on this c.d. Cyrus Chestnut (p.), Eric Alexander (s.), the likewise-underrated Jeremy Pelt (tr.) and the incomparable Romero Lubambo (g.), not only have played with her but are effusive in their public praise for her. I could tell you that it is outrageous that even now, the Down Beat critics make no mention of her in their summer poll.



But I've said all of this before in my reviews of Ms. Ryan's prior 4 recordings. And like Ms. Ryan, I certainly don't want to sound like a broken record!



So what is there to say that's new? How about this: If you are a Jackie-phile, like me, check out how she does "Caminhos Cruzados" here (disc 1, track 3) versus how she did it on her debut c.d., "For Heaven's Sake," about a decade ago. Her growth as an artist is astounding. There, she sang red and yellow quite effectively; here, she sings the whole rainbow, with intermittent shades of each color besides.



The whole c.d. is just fabulous. Normally, when artists do a 2-disc album (other than "Best Ofs," of course), there is bound to be some filler, or less than wonderful tracks. Not so here. There is not a weak or uninteresting moment on either disc.



Consider the terrific original vocalese of an old Benny Carter song on the title track; Annie Ross never did it better. Or consider her teasing encouragement on "Do Something"; or her sass on "Get Rid of Mondays" (a too-seldom-covered Burke & Van Heusen standard); or the mix of the inquisitive child and the exasperated mother on "Dat Dere"; or the changing emotions of the spurned lover on "I Haven't Got Anything Better To Do"; or the wide-eyed wonder of the first glance of the "Midnight Sun"; or the change of matter-of-factness to insistence of "I Must Have That Man"; or the purr of "With the Wind and the Rain in Your Hair;" or the sensitive interplay with Chestnut's wispy, chewy work on "You'll See."



Or the album's highlight to me, the guitar-voice duet with Lubambo on "Solamente Una Vez." This rendition simply took my breath away.



All in all, I think this is Jackie Ryan's best c.d. yet. And considering that I thought "Passion Flower" was the best recording of 2002, that's saying something. And if that makes me sound like a broken record, so be it. RC



p.s. - This, and Melody Gardot's "My One and Only Thrill," are my two favorite c.d.'s for 2009. The February, 2010 issue of "Jazz Times" just hit the stands, and indeed, Ms. Gardot's is #32 and this one #37, or #'s 2 and 3 among vocal jazz discs. Neither was nominated for a Grammy - and neither was the #1 disc, Gretchen Parlato's "In a Dream" (#8 overall). Grammy, shammy. RC"

Angelic pipes

J. Cadle | Manteca, CA | 10/21/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jackie Ryan's Doozy provides an excellent showcase for one of the finest jazz voices in the business. She has range, emotion, and a delightful sense of pure fun. It's worth adding that her backup musicians are as good as they come. This is my first time listening to Jackie Ryan's music, but I've been inspired to add two more of her earlier recordings to my collection."

A Jazz Vocal Classic

SteelyTom | Boston, MA | 11/02/2009

(5 out of 5 stars)

"Jacky Ryan's latest has won many well-deserved plaudits. She combines great vocal gifts, like a staggering three octave-plus range, with jazz savvy and good taste. Her back-up band is first-rate, too, especially pianist Cyrus Chestnut. I'd love to hear Jacky with a bigger ensemble- this small-group setting is marvellously intimate, but you sense she'd kick some serious butt with a big band. In a year not lacking for terrific vocal releases (such as those by Roberta Gambarnini, Kurt Elling, and Gretchen Parlato), this is a standout."