For some reason, Jackie Ryan never gets mentioned regarding top jazz vocalists, but for my money, she’s in the top tier. Her enunciation is exquisite, she has a festive swing that sounds like she just popped out of a birthday cake, and she’s got that extra feeling of emotion that makes each lyric sound convincing.
Here, she pours out her Latin heart as she revisits songs associated with her mother, with Paquito D’Rivera on alto sax and clarinet along with the folksy plaza team the includes Marco Diaz/p-tp-arr, Steffen Kuehn/tp, percussionists Luoie Romero-Braulio Barrera-Carlos Caro, Seth Asarnow on bandoneon, Hugo Qainzinger/g-arr , Saul Sierra/b and Crlos Reyes-Jeremy Cohen on violins. You end up with Ryan lilting wit Diaz on “Sabor A Mi”, giving traditional flavors with Wainzinger on “Maria Elena” and evoking sweet melancholia with Reyes on “Noche De Ronda”. Ryan goes bel canto while sauntering on the sizzling “Siboney”, and percolates on the oozing “Quizas, Quizas, QUizas”. Diaz gives a gorgeous piano intro to “Contigo Aprendi” and D’Rivera is gentle and cool on the clarinet for the serenade of “El Dia Que Me Quieras”. A romantic full mooned evening.