Judy Wexler

4.5 stars!
"Rare is the jazz vocal CD that makes one stand up and take notice on the first hearing. But Judy Wexler achieves that reaction with her brilliant Dreams & Shadows, in part due to her instinctive ability to bring out the best in each song, often taking it into unfamiliar territory. The inventive arrangements by pianists Alan Pasqua and Jeff Colella (who alternate at the keyboard) are also an important factor, along with their use of key soloists to add flavor to each chart. There are a number of familiar favorites: the driving post-bop setting of "Comes Love" utilizing Colella's altered harmonies; "If I Only Had a Brain" with Wexler's playful vocal accented by the bird-like chirps of Bob Shepherd's soprano sax; and Sonny Rollins' "Pent Up House," newly fitted with Jack Prather's lyrics and featuring Wexler's deft re-creation of Rollins' original solo. Several songs come from the world of pop. Wexler's sensitive handling of Pasqua's haunting arrangement of "One Less Bell to Answer" (a hit for the 5th Dimension) and the sassy bossa nova scoring of "Spooky" (popularized by the long forgotten Classics IV) accented by Gilbert Castellanos' sinewy muted trumpet are examples of looking for material in unexpected places. Her sensual rendition of Victor Young's "Dreams & Shadows (Delilah)" and engaging scatting in Jerome Kern's "In Love in Vain" revive two gems by two masters of the Great American Songbook. Judy Wexler deserves widespread recognition for her outstanding CD."
--- Ken Dryden - All Music Guide

"If Ms. Wexler had written the inscription on the Statue of Liberty, it would have read "Give me your obscure, your neglected love songs…" She scores heavily by collecting rarities from Kern, Berlin, Mancini, Lennon/McCartney, Abbey Lincoln, Bob Dylan, and Charlie Haden for the title tune. This debut album is simply sensational. Wexler emerges as one of the most focused, unpretentious, no-nonsense, bop-oriented jazz singers around. She boasts range, firm intonation and the kind of enunciation that makes her the darling of lyricists." Harvey Siders - JazzTimes Magazine

"Judy Wexler pulls you into her music with a combination of wit, style and knowingness that must make a lyricist very pleased that she's chosen to interpret his or her words. On top of that, her playful way with a tune and the wonderful fluidity of her voice would make any melodist smile. With her sharp jazz instincts and formidable vocal skills, she knows exactly where to stretch or alter time and when to veer slightly from the melody. Dreams & Shadows is her second disc, but it has the confidence and assurance one would expect from a singer with a more extensive discography.

Dreams & Shadows benefits from fresh song choices that smartly highlight Wexler's talents. She covers two songs by Blossom Dearie, warm tributes from her to a fellow singer, and two infrequently covered standards, Harold Arlen's "If I Only Had a Brain" and Jerome Kern's "In Love In Vain." Her take on "Spooky," the '60s hit for the Classics IV, is cool and sexy, and her moving version of "One Less Bell to Answer" avoids the maudlin clichés other singers have fallen prey to. Wexler's readings are dramatic, but she never overwhelms or over emotes.

Wexler is surrounded by very strong musicians throughout Dreams & Shadows, including Joe LaBarbera on drums, pianists Alan Pasqua and Jeff Colella, and Bob Sheppard on reeds. Pasqua and Colella have prepared swinging, tasteful arrangements for her and she delivers. Beautifully mastered by Ron McMaster, the sound on Dreams & Shadows is very good -- open and expansive.

Some buzz seems to be building around Wexler and, for once, it's deserved."
--- Joseph Taylor

- Soundstage!

"Dreams & Shadows (Jazzed Media) is the second album by vocalist Judy Wexler, but is the first that I have heard. From the evidence here, she is one fine singer, and has surrounded her self with a fine cast of musicians. Pianists Jeff Colella and Alan Pasqua, reedman Bob Sheppard, trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, bassist Darek Oles and drummers Steve Hass and Joe LaBarbera contribute in various combinations, while Tollak Ollestad on harmonica and Stefanie Fife on cello each appear on one track. Wexler has a distinctive, voice full of shadings, and simply knows how to dig into a song and find its essence. Speaking of songs, Wexler has chosen an interesting and eclectic program. She has mostly stayed away from the catalog of standards favored by most jazz and jazz-influenced pop singers. Even when she goes in that direction, the songs that she opts to include, "Comes Love," "In Love in Vain" and "If I Only Had a Brain," are not anywhere near the overdone category. Her take on "One Less Bell to Answer," makes this song take on a depth that was untapped by the hit version from the Fifth Dimension. It would be hard to find anyone other than Blossom Dearie herself who would include two songs by Dearie and Jack Segal in an album. Well, Wexler sings "Bye, Bye Country Boy" and "Summer Is Gone" in a way that will surely please Miss Blossom. To confirm her jazz chops, Wexler vocalizes two jazz tunes, "Pent Up House" by Sonny Rollins, with a lyric by Jack Prather, and "Blue Daniel" by Frank Rosolino, retitled "Life's a Lesson" by lyricist Ben Sidran. This is an impressive collection by a singer who is sure to attract lots of attention with quality efforts like this."
--- Joe Lang
- Jersey Jazz

"Since 1999, Judy Wexler has wowed local L.A. audiences with her pitch-perfect vocals sung as jazz should be sung -- with soul, style, clear articulation, and the ability to swing with the best of them.

"Comes Love" and Wexler come on like gangbusters as she takes this tune to new heights with superb phrasing and a message that captures the soul of the listener. Gilbert Castellanos adds some trumpet mastery to the already hot mix.


"If I Only Had A Brain" -- Judy Wexler tells a musical story on this tune that has not only clever lyrics but a melody that touches the heart. This tune is one of the hallmarks of this album. Jeff Colella at the piano and saxman Bob Sheppard add the final touch to a lovely vocal rendition.

"Bye Bye Country Boy" -- Blossom Dearie's soulful tune is smokier than a speakeasy under the supple-as-silk style of Judy Wexler. There is a lot of fertile ground to till on this track, and Wexler leaves no stone unturned with this version that would make angels cry.

Bebop is alive and well under the tutelage of Judy Wexler as she parlays "Pent Up House" into a soon to be classic. This singer has all the necessary ingredients and a sense of time that is remarkable. Bob Sheppard's tenor solo is a gem.

I remember Judy Wexler from her early years as a very hip singer with
all the inherent tools to be a force in the jazz genre...and it's no
surprise that she has emerged as just that, a star among stars.
5 STARS"
- John Gilbert

"These days female jazz vocalists are a hot commodity. That, for good or bad, means they are also something like seven cents a dozen. The unique, if not new, sound of a skilled vocalist with a smokin' combo is everywhere. There are a plethora of new (and old) voices to choose from. How does one decide? You can't get all of the new CDs in search of the gems among the mundane--that's our job. So...perhaps the question should be how do we decide?

When I receive a CD by a jazz vocalist for review, as I did with Ms. Judy Wexler's 'Dreams & Shadows,' the first thing I listen for, of course, is the quality of the singer's voice. Not really can she sing--most who've made it to this level can--but can she achieve the right style? Does she sound relaxed, confident and musical? Can she swing? Ms. Wexler made it through this round with lightning speed. She's definitely got it right; this is the sound I look for.

The next thing I examine is the choice of material. Is it varied? Does it reflect the past, present or future? A little of each? Even better. This leads me to another area--the breadth and width of the singer's capabilities? Does she handle ballads with equal finesse as the more swingin' numners? Can she display a variety of characteristics with her voice? Is there a sense of humor? Poignancy? Seductiveness? Again, Judy Wexler and Dreams & Shadows did not disappoint. The program contains a number of jazz standards, including "Pent Up House," "Comes Love" and the title track, which is perhaps better known among jazz fans as "Delilah," which was of course made famous by the legendary Max Roach/Clifford Brown quintet of the fifties. Wexler's arrangement is a slightly modernized take on Roach and Brown's classic. From the more unorthodox side of things comes "If I Only Had a Brain" (put a check next to that sense of humor question), Burt Bacharach's "One Less Bell to Answer" and Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue." These songs are just some of the highlights of an entertaining thirteen song program.

One final area I examine when reviewing a female jazz vocalist is the quality of her backing band. This was a no brainer with 'Dreams & Shadows.' Big guns like Joe LaBarbera (who does a particularly masterful job with this recording) bolster a long list of talented musicians that support Judy Wexler in a most musically respectful and uniquely engaging fashion. These guys smoke on the swingers and gently glide through ballads, comfortably negotiating everything in between.

With all of my prerequisites met, I can easily say that Judy Wexler is a great singer and 'Dreams & Shadows' is a great CD. Glowing reviews are always fun to write, as there's real passion behind my words. This CD is not one to miss. This review will be a blast to write. As the screen just advanced to page two of my Word document entitled "Judy Wexler," I realize that I seem to have already written the review. Go figure. OK, I did my part, now do yours. Go out and get Judy Wexler's 'Dreams & Shadows.'"

- Dave Miele

NPR Weekend Edition Interview with Susan Stamberg, March 22, 2008:

"From the evidence on her new second album, Dreams & Shadows, Judy Wexler can sing almost anything.

Wexler can be slow and sad without being goopy. She can straight-out swing, and she can take a classic jazz riff and keep riffing, even with words. Not bad for someone who says she didn't necessarily grow up with jazz.

"My whole life, I've been involved with music and studying it," Wexler says. "But with the jazz idiom, it's actually not something that I grew up with, per se. It's something that I came to later in life."

Well, sort of.

"Well, actually, I was [listening to jazz]," she said. "I lied. My dad had music on all the time ... and my father was — he loved to sing. He was always singing. And my mother and he would dance in the living room -– put on music and dance. And that was very joyful."

Susan Stamberg spoke with the jazz vocalist about the tunes on her new record."

Podcast available at www.judywexler.com
- NPR Weekend Edition

"So refreshingly good, so fundamentally gifted is Judy Wexler that it's a bit distressing to learn that inexperience, coupled with a degree of late-to-the-party anxiety, very nearly kept the flame-haired Angeleno from becoming a jazz singer.

Her original intent was to study acting. Then the desire to become a clinical therapist caught her fancy, prompting her to pursue a major in psychology. Then the acting bug bit again and it was back to drama class. After a two year stint with Caught in the Act: A Theater Collective of Four Short Women, a Bay Area quartet devoted to comedy and music, she married her upstairs neighbor. Together, around the corner from their North Beach apartment, they discovered Keystone Korner. The world of jazz opened up to her, harmony and vocal studies followed, and the idea of building a career accompanying herself on piano took root. Convinced "I'd be a hundred years old before I'd be as good as I wanted to be," she decided to focus solely on singing. But, melodramatic as it sounds, it took a nudge from her dying mother to turn the dream into reality.

Now, with this exalted follow-up to 2005's superb Easy on the Heart, Wexler proves she's ready to join the top rank of female jazz vocalists. Listen to the heated urgency that propels both her "Comes Love" and "In Love in Vain." Hear how she explores the murky corners of the Victor Young-penned title track. Appreciate the aching simplicity of her "One Less Bell to Answer," the wry half-smile that ignites "If I Only Had a Brain" and the cool sensuality of "Spooky." Most glorious of all (which, given the superior quality of these 13 tracks, is saying a lot), is her immaculate treatment of Blossom Dearie's "Summer is Gone," where warm memories and chilled loneliness swirl together like windswept autumn leaves."
--- Christopher Loudon - Christopher Loudon

"West Coast jazz vocalist Judy Wexler not only knows her way around a bop tune, fluidly negotiating angular intervals and racing tempos, she knows how to personalize a pop tune, no matter how familiar or faded.

On "Dreams & Shadows," her second CD, Wexler finds inspiration in a refreshing assortment of songs. Take Sonny Rollins's "Pent Up House," for example. Equipped with delightful new lyrics and punctuated by Wexler's fluid vocalese take on the opening tenor sax chorus that Rollins originally recorded, the performance quickly stands apart as bright and inventive.

More often, though, the mood is comparatively subdued, with Wexler consistently displaying her interpretative finesse. Her rendering of "If I Only Had a Brain" is rhythmically engaging and poignantly yearning in equal measure. Her fondness for jazz vocalist Blossom Dearie's under-recorded songbook yields two small gems: the dreamy recollections "Bye Bye Country Boy" and "Summer Is Gone." Elvis Costello's "Almost Blue," which features a haunting piano arrangement with muted trumpet, serves as a soulful interlude. Indeed, Wexler is accompanied throughout by a first-rate ensemble that includes pianists Alan Pasqua and Jeff Colella, drummer Joe La Barbera and reedman Bob Sheppard."

- Mike Joyce

Pianist Alan Pasqua also makes an impressive contribution to jazz singer Judy Wexler's exciting "Dreams & Shadows," her second CD on the Jazzed Media label, splitting the arranging and playing duties with pianist Jeff Colella. These guys highlight a punchy recording with a strong band presence that includes trumpeter Gilbert Castellanos, saxophonist Bob Sheppard, bassist Darek Oles and drummers Steve Hass and Joe LaBarbera, all of them swift and seasoned musicians. But "Dreams & Shadows" is Wexler's baby all the way, one that can claim turf on the small landscape of genuinely great modern jazz vocalist recordings.

Wexler bites into the lyric of "Comes Love" and doesn't let go, and her band chases after her with the reins of the melody in hand. She slinks through the exotic oldie, "Delilah," and "brings the ruckus" to a swinging interpretation of Sonny Rollins' "Pent Up House." Her eclectic program covers tunes by Elvis Costello and Blossom Dearie, as well as classic material by Jerome Kern and Harold Arlen (a clever version of "If I Only Had a Brain"). This CD puts Wexler solidly among the ranks of really good singers like Kate McGarry and Tierney Sutton. On "Dreams & Shadows" she sounds exceedingly relaxed and comfortable throughout, and exhibits just enough fearlessness, daring and control that everything here just clicks." - Primetime A&E