As with many words in the English language Doozy has a dual meaning. In the case of the new Jackie Ryan release with the same name it is without a doubt a positive connotation.
The one factor that I found amazing about this two disc set is that it was all recorded in just two days during three recording sessions at Tony Bennett’s studio! That is a phenomenal pace in any day and age. What is probably most important is that even though it seems like it was a “rush job” it does not sound that way. The final results are incredibly good in both production and by and large presentation.
Jackie has some of the best in the business with her on Doozy including Cyrus Chestnut (piano), Eric Alexander (sax), Romero Lubambo (guitar), Jeremy Pelt (trumpet/flugelhorn), Ray Drummond (bass), Carl Allen (drums), Derzon Douglas (bass) and Neal Smith (drums). Those not familiar with Jackie’s work may look at this as a relatively unknown singer using bigger names in the business to push her own interest out front. This is not the case at all. Jackie has a solid reputation in the recording industry with two other highly acclaimed releases to her credit. You And The Night And The Music (with Red Holloway) and Passion Flower received considerable acclaim and from what I heard on Doozy those kind of accolades will continue.
I appreciated the way Jackie uses a diverse approach with a generous assortment of 20 tracks on this set. The first disc offers up some standards of contemporary jazz with a mixture of originals covering the span of the jazz idiom. Disc two has more of a Latin Jazz focus making sure the listener understands just how talented and versatile this songbird is.
The packaging is impressive as well. The CDs are housed in 3 part gatefold cardboard sleeve with a fold out back to back disc tray, which is handy and compact. There are some great color photos on the inside cover including the disc tray. Also provided is a nice booklet that slides into the middle sleeve. It is not a common occurrence to mention the details of packaging but in this case it was necessary and very deserving.
The main point here is that the singer is quality just like the packaging of the product. I was not familiar with Jackie Ryan until now and thanks to Doozy I will not forget her name and there will be an immediate acknowledgment with the top female jazz vocalists in the genre.
Keith “MuzikMan” Hannaleck
December 5, December 3, 2009
