Jazz Articles about Jackie Ryan

Jackie Ryan and the Larry McKenna Quartet at Chris’ Jazz Café

by Victor L. Schermer
April 28, 2016

Jackie Ryan and the Larry McKenna Quartet Chris' Jazz Café Philadelphia, PA April 23, 2016 Jackie Ryan is acquiring a reputation as a “must hear" vocalist. When this reviewer heard DJ Bob Perkins ("BP with the GM") praise her singing on WRTI, he decided to attend her show at Chris' Jazz Café to see what she could do in person, the true test of a singer's ability. Then, to increase the anticipation, the band ...

Jackie Ryan: Listen Here

by C. Michael Bailey
February 25, 2013

There exists an intersection point in a vocal recording where four elements coalesce in excellence to produce a superb recording: the vocal, instrumental, material and sonic. Singer Jackie Ryan's Listen Here exists on this very point. AAJ critic Dan Bilawsky addressed the first two elements in his thoughtful review of Listen Here, calling Ryan, “a force of nature" and her instrumental support, “ damn good," observations easily echoed here and not improved upon. The latter pair of elements deserve a ...

Jackie Ryan with John Clayton & Friends: Listen Here

by Nicholas F. Mondello
January 25, 2013

With Listen Here, vocalist Jackie Ryan offers a diverse and delectable array of Great American Songbook and jazz classics, well-known but not regularly-recorded older hits, and superb original selections. Supported by Grammy Award-winning bassist John Clayton and most able friends (including Clayton's son, pianist Gerald, a three-time Grammy nominee), the overall effort soars. It's a tour de force of talent and taste.Ryan's voice is full, highly resonant and eminently inviting. It is also one of subtle shadings. Her ...

Jackie Ryan: Listen Here

by Dan Bilawsky
January 3, 2013

Jackie Ryan isn't simply a singer; she's a force of nature. Her voice possesses a weighty power, yet soars with grace and ease. Her ability to transmute into different characters and forms, as dictated by the song, lyrics and style, makes her one in a million and she's managed to parlay that unique gift into project after successful project with some of the best in the business backing her up. This date is no exception. Ryan recruited ...

Jackie Ryan: Doozy

by Larry Taylor
November 4, 2009

This two-CD set is vocalist Jackie Ryan's third recording and it's definitely a keeper. On the heels of her 2007 success, You And The Night And The Music (Open Art Productions), which landed on the charts, also appears destined for success.

With her clear, rich voice, Ryan undoubtedly has one of jazz's great vocal instruments--no low-note warble or reedy high notes for her and with a 3-1/2 octave range, she handles each song with aplomb. In addition, she has a ...

Jackie Ryan: You and the Night and the Music

by Joel Roberts
November 15, 2008

San Francisco-based chanteuse Jackie Ryan has a smoky contralto, an impressively wide vocal range and an actress' flair for delivering dramatic lyrics. That adds up to a winning combination on this collection of love songs. Backed by a top-notch trio of Los Angeles musicians, Ryan delivers straight-ahead performances of 14 mostly familiar romantic tunes. She shows she can swing hard on Cole Porter's “You'd Be So Nice to Come Home To," sing with deep feeling on a ...

Jackie Ryan: You and the Night and the Music

by Dr. Judith Schlesinger
August 27, 2007

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 a crackling, long-term trio on its own, and the guest is a legend, it vaults the whole enterprise into an altogether different category.

All of these elements are here, on Jackie Ryan's third release for Open ...