Jazz Articles about Rickey Woodard

About Rickey Woodard

Album Review

Judy Whitmore: Isn't It Romantic

Read "Isn't It Romantic" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
November 15, 2022

"Take a page out of Judy Whitmore's playbook for life, and be inspired by a true modern-day Renaissance woman--cabaret and recording artist, best-selling author, and licensed jet pilot--whose passion for adventure has audiences and readers across America abandoning their fears and reawakening to long-forgotten dreams and new desires." Thus Judy Whitmore, her web page. Ms. Whitmore, you may gather, is not a professional jazz singer Of course, it would be hard to know what exactly qualifies someone as ...

Album Review

Judy Whitmore: Isn't It Romantic

Read "Isn't It Romantic" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 26, 2022

Sometimes it is a pleasure to listen to an album simply because the quality of the music is so consistently gratifying. And if the music is sung as well as Judy Whitmore sings it on Isn't It Romantic, well, that is icing on the cake, as are the superb performances by her supporting cast, especially pianist Tamir Hendelman and saxophonist Rickey Woodard. The music is taken for the most part from the Great American Songbook, and much ...

Album Review

Doug MacDonald: Overtones

Read "Overtones" reviewed by Jack Bowers

by Jack Bowers
October 1, 2022

The term “all-star" is not one to be used lightly. Be that as it may, the appellation fits guitarist Doug MacDonald's Los Angeles-based octet as snugly as a glove; he and his colleagues are among the finest, most experienced and in-demand musicians on the West Coast. On Overtones, recorded in September 2021, the ensemble shows its mastery by gracefully skating through seven of MacDonald's upbeat themes and one standard, Ram Ramirez' ardent “Lover Man." Three of MacDonald's ...

Album Review

Judy Whitmore: Isn't It Romantic

Read "Isn't It Romantic" reviewed by Pierre Giroux

by Pierre Giroux
September 30, 2022

It seems that for most singers at some point in their career, delving into the Great American Songbook is “de rigueur." And why is that? Perhaps it's because the melodies are captivating, the lyrics are meaningful, and the quality of the compositions has proven to be timeless. In any event singer Judy Whitmore has added her name to that long list of vocalists who have taken the up the challenge with her third release. There are ...

Album Review

Sidney Jacobs: If I Were Your Woman

Read "If I Were Your Woman" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
September 19, 2022

Take a deep breath. Whether or not Sidney Jacobs came up with the somewhat offbeat title of this album (originally the property of Gladys Knight and the Pips) is irrelevant. What would matter is that there is a clear line of sonic and stylistic descent from Al Jarreau to Jacobs. Fans of Jarreau's style are going to enjoy Jacobs. He operates in a lower register and, all respect to Jarreau, with the same authority and, if anything, more power. Years ...

Album Review

Doug MacDonald: Overtones

Read "Overtones" reviewed by Richard J Salvucci

by Richard J Salvucci
April 14, 2022

Some of you may well remember Arthur Conley's 1967 chart-topper, “Sweet Soul Music." The lyrics began with the imperishable line, “Do you like good music?" That may resonate with listeners of a certain age, because Overtones: Doug MacDonald and the L.A. All Star Octet certainly qualifies as “good music." What is it about West Coast stuff inflected with Birth of the Cool? It somehow never gets old, even when a listener thinks, “Hmm. There may not be anything new here, ...

Album Review

Doug MacDonald: Overtones

Read "Overtones" reviewed by Edward Blanco

by Edward Blanco
March 3, 2022

Los Angeles-based guitarist Doug MacDonald just happens to be one of the most active recording musicians in the country, with three releases in 2021 alone and at least two more dating back to 2019. Add to that list, this 2022 recording of Overtones and you can understand MacDonald's devotion to producing music as evidenced by his large discography. A prolific composer, MacDonald's eight-track repertoire consist almost entirely of original compositions, with the only exception being a fine rendition of Ram ...