Judy Wexler - Crowded Heart

[GA Russell]

Judy Wexler "Crowded Heart" Impacting: May 27 2019 Format(s): Jazz     Artist Title Time           Judy Wexler Circus Life 04:41       Judy Wexler Parisian Heartbreak 05:01       Judy Wexler Crowded Heart 05:23       Judy Wexler Painted on Canvas 03:51       Judy Wexler Stars 04:46       Judy Wexler The Last Goodbye 04:56       Judy Wexler Take My Breath Away 04:33       Judy Wexler I Took Your Hand 04:18       Judy Wexler It's Only Smoke 04:53       Judy Wexler And We Will Fly (Highway 14) 05:28     “What a joy to listen to this album, both for the exquisite music-making of Judy Wexler and Alan Pasqua, but also for their astuteness in finding and featuring outstanding songs by current-day jazz composers. Highly recommended!”  Ted Gioia, author of The History of Jazz and The Jazz Standards   On Crowded Heart, vocalist Judy Wexler presents “jazz standards for the 21st century,” an anthology of ten timeless modern jazz compositions by contemporary songwriters, including Gregory Porter, Fred Hersch, Rene Marie, Alan Broadbent, Alan Pasqua, Larry Goldings, Kurt Elling, and more. Arranged by piano great Alan Pasqua and featuring a band that comprises some of the finest, first-call musicians in Southern California, these tunes are the perfect vehicle for Wexler’s warm, soulful voice and highly personal interpretations.   Besides her sumptuous voice, Wexler is known for finding under-exposed musical gems and for her ability to capture the meaning of a song and tell its story. In All About Jazz, Dan Bilawsky wrote, “Judy Wexler is more than a mere singer of songs. She’s an actress, mood painter, song archaeologist, and vocalist par excellence.”   When Wexler first conceived of this project, she reached out to jazz historian Ted Gioia, author ofThe Jazz Standards, for advice. He told her that jazz stays alive and becomes more than a history lesson or museum piece when a modern composition is embraced and recorded by many vocalists. Wexler is doing her part to keep the music fresh and interesting by presenting onCrowded Heart songs that she feels will withstand the test of time.   This is Wexler’s fifth CD since her 2005 release of Easy on the Heart. Each of her CDs, which also includes Dreams & Shadows (2008), Under a Painted Sky (2011), and What I See (2013), have all received stellar reviews and topped the national JazzWeek radio charts.   Judy Wexler’s Interview on NPR Weekend Edition by Susan Stamberg will air Saturday, June 8th   “I love albums that have a sustained vibe, and yours hangs together beautifully as a complete creation. You have made an excellent case for the survival of interesting jazz songwriting, and you've let the songs shine in ways that, without a doubt, have made their composers very happy.” James Gavin, author of Stormy Weather: The Life of Lena Horne and Is That All There Is: The Strange Life of Peggy Lee   “Wexler shows a fondness for individualism and demonstrates a keen ear for strong material. She takes the road less traveled by focusing on the work of jazz composers thriving in the present. In doing so she magnifies the importance of these artists, highlights material worthy of greater attention, and elevates her own standing as a gifted stylist and interpreter.” Dan Bilawsky, All About Jazz   “She is balletic light on her vocal feet, dead-on with her pitch, and lyrically smooth. She probes emotional depth and returns gems without melodrama. While hearts may indeed be crowded, this superb and original effort from a very talented and insightful artist and her cadre has certainly found its way into ours.” Nick Mondello, All About Jazz     Attachments   Onesheet-C.. PressRelea.. TourDates-.. Bio-JudyWe.. Photo-Judy..

 

Hit #1 in Jazz on Amazon and iTunes!

Hit #7 on Billboard’s Traditional Jazz Albums chart!

Hit #35 on JazzWeek’s national radio chart!

Listen to Judy’s NPR Weekend Edition interview HERE 
 

“Judy Wexler has a terrific voice and she’s done something fairly groundbreaking on her new album: She has selected 10 terrific little-known ballads by contemporary artists… Many are melodically complex, but Judy aces them, taking her voice wherever it has to go to satisfy the music and win you over… Brava, Judy!”

– Marc Myers, JazzWax (#1 jazz blog in America)

 

“What a joy to listen to this album, both for the exquisite music-making of Judy Wexler and Alan Pasqua, but also for their astuteness in finding and featuring outstanding songs by current-day jazz composers. Highly recommended!”

–Ted Gioia, author of The History of Jazz and The Jazz Standards

“An album that deserves its popularity… Wexler has the perfect voice for the material -- rarely heard songs from recent years but worthy of a place in the Great American Song Book Vol. 2”
-Bebop Spoken Here

“Wexler’s expressive phrasing is a wonder… her expert interpretations never give away the secrets.”
-Jazz History Online

“An inordinately rewarding album…”

–San Francisco Classical Voice

 

“Ms. Wexler caresses melodies, reaches for the emotional heart of each song, and gives listeners an experience that resonates beyond the recording, settling in one’s own crowded heart.”

-Step Tempest

 

“She is balletic light on her vocal feet, dead-on with her pitch, and lyrically smooth. She probes emotional depth and returns gems without melodrama. While hearts may indeed be crowded, this superb and original effort from a very talented and insightful artist and her cadre has certainly found its way into ours.”

–All About Jazz
 

 

On Crowded Heart, vocalist Judy Wexler presents “jazz standards for the 21st century,” an anthology of ten timeless modern jazz compositions by contemporary songwriters, including Gregory Porter, Fred Hersch, Rene Marie, Alan Broadbent, Alan Pasqua, Larry Goldings, Kurt Elling, and more. Arranged by piano great Alan Pasqua and featuring a band that comprises some of the finest, first-call musicians in Southern California, these tunes are the perfect vehicle for Wexler’s warm, soulful voice and highly personal interpretations.

 

Besides her sumptuous voice, Wexler is known for finding under-exposed musical gems and for her ability to capture the meaning of a song and tell its story. In All About Jazz, Dan Bilawsky wrote, “Judy Wexler is more than a mere singer of songs. She’s an actress, mood painter, song archaeologist, and vocalist par excellence.”

 

When Wexler first conceived of this project, she reached out to jazz historian Ted Gioia, author ofThe Jazz Standards, for advice. He told her that jazz stays alive and becomes more than a history lesson or museum piece when a modern composition is embraced and recorded by many vocalists. Wexler is doing her part to keep the music fresh and interesting by presenting onCrowded Heart songs that she feels will withstand the test of time.

 

This is Wexler’s fifth CD since her 2005 release of Easy on the Heart. Each of her CDs, which also includes Dreams & Shadows (2008), Under a Painted Sky (2011), and What I See (2013), have all received stellar reviews and topped the national JazzWeek radio charts.