Jazz Articles about JD Walter

Mike LeDonne: Wonderful!

by Jack Bowers
March 27, 2024

Organist Mike LeDonne's latest recording, Wonderful!, is a labor of love on several levels. Of course, there is love of the music and love of accomplishing something that had not been done before--teaming a gospel choir with jazz quartet. Above all else, there is love for LeDonne's wife, Margaret, and daughter Mary who is disabled but, as LeDonne says, is nonetheless “truly wonderful." LeDonne wrote the album's title song for Mary, wherein he compares her to “a ...

Mike LeDonne: Wonderful!

by Pierre Giroux
February 27, 2024

In jazz's rich tapestry, where tradition meets innovations, there emerged a convergence exemplified by the present release Wonderful! with the virtuosic Mike LeDonne's Groover Quartet + Gospel Choir, who embark on a transcendent journey into the heart of gospel- infused jazz. The project is informed by LeDonne's desire to offer a heartfelt tribute to his wife Margaret and daughter Mary to showcase the spirited and varied nature of the disability community. Participating in this harmonious affair are the long-time members ...

JD Walter: What the World Needs Now

by Pierre Giroux
August 15, 2023

JD Walter beckons listeners into a soulful and captivating journey through modern jazz interpretations of non-jazz material. With his unique vocal stylings and innovative arrangements, he brings a fresh perspective to familiar popular tunes, and several jazz standards, while delivering thought-provoking original compositions. From the very first track--Stevie Wonder's “Golden Lady"--it is evident that Walter's vocal prowess is a force to be reckoned with. He dashes along in full flight and then effortlessly shifts into intricate ...

JD Walter: Dressed in a Song

by Victor L. Schermer
February 28, 2020

JD Walter is a consummate vocalist who has devoted himself over many years to evolving a unique style that is nevertheless ensconced in the jazz tradition. The public relations sheet for this new CD states that “this is his first release since recovering from a life-threatening heart condition and surgeries on his heart and vocal cords." It states that this is a “comeback" record. That is a misnomer. In this recording, he takes the music to new levels of structure, ...

JD Walter: Live at the 55 Bar

by Victor L. Schermer
February 4, 2010

JD Walter is an outstanding contemporary vocalist with six superb CDs already to his credit. Strongly influenced by Betty Carter and Milton Nascimento--themselves true originals--Walter is a dedicated artist who has stretched the singer's palette, increasing the range of vocalizations and emotions available for interpretation and improvisation. In Live at the 55 Bar, representing sets that were recorded at Greenwhich Village's famed 55 Bar in New York City, Walter capitalizes, in particular, on his skillful use of sound-synthesizing devices.

J.D. Walter: Being a Verb

by Victor L. Schermer
May 18, 2009

J.D. Walter is a jazz singers' singer--a purist and an innovator. Although his style has been compared to many vocal titans, it is in the same breath, uniquely his own, and he has become a singular phenomenon on the music scene.

Respected and lauded by the great musicians of the contemporary circuit, Walter has shared the stage with many legendary artists including: saxophonists Dave Liebman, Bill Evans and Tim Warfield; singer and songwriter Bob Dorough, drummers ...

JD Walter: Live in Portugal

by Victor L. Schermer
March 6, 2009

J.D. Walter Live In Portugal JWAL Records 2008

J.D. Walter may be the most avant-garde vocalist in jazz today. He uses a broad range of musical and linguistic approaches to create haunting atmospheres, rapid scat runs, and emotionally engaging interpretations of both standards and his own compositions. On this double CD set, recorded live at the Lagoa Jazz Festival in Portugal, he takes scat to a new expressive level. The word scat ...