Album Review: Kathy Ingraham’s “Jazz Dreams”

Gerry Geddes
For a project inspired by a 1944 Oscar-winning short film called Heavenly Music, Kathy Ingraham’s new recording, Jazz Dreams, is an unexpectedly bracing and jazzy dive into rock radio. In the film, a deceased bebop jazz band leader must justify his entry into the heavenly Hall of Music before a committee of elitist classical composers and...

Album Review: Lisa Yaeger’s “Jersey Girl”

Lisa Jo Sagolla
Based on her eponymous cabaret show, vocalist Lisa Yaeger’s exciting new album, Jersey Girl, celebrates songs written, performed, or famously recorded by New Jersey natives. A Jersey girl herself, with a bright, adorably sexy voice, Yaeger is remarkably daring. Not only does she take on tunes definitively performed by the likes of Whitney Houston, Marilyn McCoo,...

Album Reviews: Sondheim’s Melodies Linger On

Gerry Geddes
Stephen Sondheim passed away on November 26, 2021 but the immortality of his songs has never been in question. Right now, there is a multi-decade film of Merrily We Roll Along being filmed under the direction of Richard Linklater—starring Paul Mescal, Ben Platt, and Beanie Feldstein—in “real time”—which will then be edited backwards. A filmed version of...

Mark Winkler “Love Comes First”

Gerry Geddes
Bistro Award winner Mark Winkler is, arguably, one of the most prolific jazz singers today. Love Comes First is his 23rd recording and he shows no signs of slowing down. In his recent show at New York's Pangea, he announced that in August he will be recording an album with British jazz royalty Claire Martin filled...

As Is (AI and Stacey Schulman) — “Crazy World”

Gerry Geddes
I have always had a warm spot in my music listening heart for pop recordings. I love jazz, rock, film scores, Broadway, folk, and so many other genres that I have been told that my taste is so eclectic that it is nonexistent.  Even though two out of three of my favorite singers are Sarah Vaughan...

Marcus Goldhaber— “The Promise of You”

Gerry Geddes
Since jazz singer/ songwriter Marcus Goldhaber first came on the scene, and through appearances at major jazz clubs and cabarets around the country, and through five previous albums, he established himself as one of the young guard of protectors of and contributors to the Great American Songbook. His style is a captivating blend of jazz...

“Flying High—Still Soaring”

Gerry Geddes
The new recording, Flying High—Still Soaring, the latest project from Champian Fulton, is a follow-up to her 2024 album, Flying High—Big Band Canaries Who Soared. This last album just scratched the surface of the incredible treasure trove of songs bequeathed to the world by band singers—an army of vocalists that fronted big bands on the...

The BLCK Madonna— “Between the Lines”

Gerry Geddes
The BLCK Madonna is the stage name for jazz singer Ana Hoffman whose new album, Between the Lines, is an inviting and hypnotically musical reimagining of seven jazz standards through her bright, thoughtful, distinct, and masterful vocals and the outstanding support of her band which is subtle, strong, soaring, and intriguing throughout. The group includes...

“Cat & the Hounds—Colin Hancock’s Jazz Hounds” Featuring Catherine Russell

Penelope Thomas
Grab your hat and your party shoes, pack a suitcase for a classic train ride, and get ready for Cat & The Hounds’ trip to the 1920s. Arranger, producer, cornetist, and C-melody sax player Colin Hancock has created a bubble of joy where you can imagine an evening with a territory Creole jazz band. Regional...

“You Fascinate Me So: Phillip Officer Salutes Mabel Mercer”

Mark Dundas Wood
I never had the good fortune to hear Mabel Mercer sing live, so I’ve had to rely on recordings to understand why she is such an inspiration to the cabaret singers who have followed in her footsteps. Mercer admitted to changing her way of singing late in her career. Her New York Times obituary from...