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“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  Jackie Ryan Bay Area vocalist Jackie Ryan may not have the reputation of a Jane Monheit, Diana Krall, or Cassandra Wilson, but she has the chops. Dubbed “one of the finest singers to perform at Ronnie's [Scott] since Shirley Horn” by the London Evening Standard, she soared in her Manhattan debut last year at Dizzy’s with her “savvy interpretive jazz vocalizing” (Variety). On August 21st, Ryan celebrates her acclaimed new release, You and the Night and the Music, with a special performance at Yoshi’s featuring sax legend Red Holloway.
 Jackie comes naturally to the stage as a singer—her Mexican mother sang Spanish folk songs and her Irish father is a classically trained, multilingual baritone. She sings in Spanish, English, and Portuguese, with hints of Sarah Vaughan and Billie Holiday in her elegant alto, effortless delivery and passionate swing. Over her career, Jackie has shared the stage with some of the best of the genre-- Clark Terry (at the Monterey Jazz Festival), Toots Thielemans, Barry Harris, Cyrus Chestnut (at Lincoln Center), Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Red Holloway, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Ernie Watts, Larry Vuckovich, Jon Mayer, and Jon Hendricks. Noted not only as a performer but also as a vocalese lyricist, Jackie has appeared before sold-out crowds at such famed venues as Ronnie Scott's in London (where she had an 8-year stint), Christofori's in Amsterdam, Jazz at Lincoln Center's Dizzy's Club Coca Cola, the Jazz Bakery in LA and Yoshi's and the Plush Room in San Francisco.
The new millennium brought Jackie Ryan into the public ear with her live debut recording, For Heaven’s Sake, with the Mike Wofford Trio (2001). Praised by Jack Bowers (All About Jazz) as “a splendid show case for her talent,” he went on to describe Ryan as “an excellent singer with an unerring sense of time and a singular use of dynamics.” Her next release, Passion Flower (2002), marked her first studio effort, and featured Larry Vuckovich; All About Jazz named it one of the top releases of the year. She quickly followed with This Heart of Mine (featuring Toots Thielemans and two-time Grammy Award winner, Ernie Watts), which received a “4 –star” rating from Downbeat and reached #5 nationwide on Jazz Week’s jazz radio chart. Christopher Loudon of Jazz Times was moved to write that “Jackie Ryan is the Rita Hayworth of jazz, her natural sensuousness and bold inhibition as fiery as her luminous red locks.” Jackie’s new release, You and the Night and the Music, is already earning accolades as her best effort to date. A set of 14 mostly classic tunes about the many facets of love could have easily been a pleasant but trite collection. Yet Jackie gives every song a new aura. Said Chris Spector (Midwest Record), “You would think this ground has been trod pretty well, but Ryan has a brand new plow and her blade cuts deep.” With a voice that hints of classical training yet never ceases to swing, Jackie has surely released one of the finest vocal recordings of 2007. (Click here for a review from LA Jazz Scene.)  Red Holloway © Andrea Canter There will be plenty of swinging on the stage at Yoshi’s on August 21st when Jackie Ryan joins forces with Red Holloway to celebrate the release of You and the Night and the Music. They’ll provide the music, Yoshi’s will provide the night life… so you just need to be there. Yoshi’s is located at Jack London Square in Oakland, CA; www.yoshis.com. Watch for the November opening of the second Yoshi’s in the heart of San Francisco. Jackie Ryan will appear at Sonoma State University on September 8th with Mel Martin and the Benny Carter Centennial Tribute Band. She returns to Dizzy’s at Jazz at Lincoln Center with the Carter Tribute Band on October 15th. More on Jackie Ryan and CD information is available at www.jackieryanmusic.com |
Friday, 25 July 2008
