Home » Jazz News » Performance / Tour

Jazz Vocalist Judy Wexler Announces East Coast Dates In October

Source:

Sign in to view read count
Los Angeles vocalist Judy Wexler, whose 3rd CD, “Under a Painted Sky," was released last year to glowing notices, will be singing in New York at the Kitano Hotel on Wednesday, October 17th and at An Die Musik in Baltimore on Thursday, October 18th, 2012.

Appearing with her will be pianist Mark Soskin, a stellar NYC player who has performed or recorded with such a diverse group of musicians such as Sonny Rollins, Joe Henderson, Tony Williams, Sheila Jordan, New York Voices, and Stanley Turrentine; bassist Bill Moring, one of the most in demand bass players in New York and a solid member of Wexler’s east coast band; and drummer Tim Horner, whose credits include Warne Marsh, Hank Jones, Helen Merrill, and Clifford Jordan.

“I’m excited to return to the east coast and work with this great band. We had a blast last time we played and I’m looking forward to continuing that experience.”

Since releasing her first CD (Easy on the Heart) in 2005, Judy Wexler has quickly established herself as one of jazz’s most incisive and engaging vocalists. Working with a first-rate cast of L.A. improvisers, including pianist/arranger Alan Pasqua, Wexler has impressed with her lustrous voice, impeccable technique, and persuasive sense of swing. Her second disc, 2008’s Dreams & Shadows, garnered an NPR profile by Susan Stamberg, who stated, “Based on the evidence of [this CD], Judy Wexler can sing almost anything.”

“There’s a marvelous clarity about Judy Wexler,” wrote Christopher Loudon in his JazzTimes review of the singer’s 2011 Jazzed Media release, Under a Painted Sky, “both in terms of her immaculate phrasing and intonation and in her ability to strip a song, any song, to its bare essence, fully capturing its spirit and soul without an ounce of pretense or affectation.”

The CD, which also scored a four-star review in Down Beat, serves in many ways as a road map for Wexler’s fascinating influences, revealing impeccable taste at every turn. The repertoire she explores on Under a Painted Sky includes tributes to Shirley Horn and Abbey Lincoln as well as finely chosen gems by Carmen McRae, Egberto Gismonti, Benny Golson, Gary McFarland, and Deodato, among others.

Judy Wexler and her trio perform at Kitano Hotel, 66 Park Avenue, New York, on Wednesday 10/17 (8:00pm and 10:00pm) • www.kitano.com; and at An Die Musik, 409 N. Charles St., Baltimore, MD, on Thursday, 10/18 (8:00pm)

“Wexler possesses a voice for the ages, and puts it to good use on a dozen delicious numbers that cover myriad moods and spotlight the stellar instrumentalists in her band. While both of Wexler's previous albums were outstanding displays of her vocal talent, Under A Painted Sky is her best yet — the third time truly is the charm." —Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz

“Wexler covers a zone not precisely hit by much of anyone anymore, a sphere you didn't know you missed until you hear her. So do yourself a favor and find out how many O's can fit into 'smooooooooth' in this perfect disc of unutterably romantic songs." —Mark S. Tucker, F.A.M.E. — Folk & Acoustic Music Exchange

“Singer Judy Wexler and her mesmerizing voice take on the tunes by some great composers on her latest recording. Another fantastic outing for Wexler." —Glenn Daniels, The Jazz Page

“...Under a Painted Sky, a high-water mark for one of contemporary music's gifted jazz vocalists. Some of its many pleasures are easily accessible; others require the listener to work a bit, and there's nothing wrong with being challenged as a listener when the art in question delivers so much upon closer inspection. The center holds, the whole is greater than the sum of its parts, and in all aspects this album is a beauty." —Dan McGee, TheBluegrassSpecial.com

“You don't have to look far to hear a true jazz singer. That would be Judy Wexler and she's someone who's got the smarts to understand a lyrical phrase and knows how to tell a story. Golden-voiced with spot-on enunciation and a natural loveliness, Wexler whoops it up in grand fashion ("Wonderful Wonderful"), handles samba with gentle aplomb ("A Little Tear") and swings the dickens out of Benny Golson's finger-popping “Whisper Not." If there's one tune missing among the dozen high-quality standards and tunes that Wexler interprets, it would be the song that best defines her – Cole Porter's “Easy To Love." —Nick Bewsey, Icon Magazine

“Wexler possesses a nearly engrained, somehow automatic feeling for delivering a lyric with total honesty. —George Fendel, Jazz Society of Oregon

Visit Website | Purchase Tickets

Comments

Tags

View events near Los Angeles
Jazz Near Los Angeles
Events Guide | Venue Guide | Local Businesses | More...

News

Popular

Get more of a good thing!

Our weekly newsletter highlights our top stories, our special offers, and upcoming jazz events near you.