Jazz and Blues

Ry Cooder called him a "guitar wizard."

Jon Pareles of The New York Times wrote in 2003:  “Mr. Galbán was one of the wonders of Cuban music in the 1960s.  His playing pulled together two almost contradictory approaches: the floating reverb of surf guitar and the percussive, snapping sound of the tres, the small guitar that’s a fulcrum between rhythm and melody in Cuban son groups.”

The incredibly talented organist Joey DeFrancesco comes from a musical family, brought up in the rich Philadelphia jazz scene: his grandfather played reeds, his dad Papa John DeFrancesco is a fine jazz organist.  Joey went to jazz clubs with his father and learned the piano and the B-3, and by age 6, he was sitting in on his father's gigs.

Singer, composer, pianist, and actress Carmen McRae was considered one of the most influential jazz vocalists of the 20th century. 

Take two imaginative, virtuoso jazz guitarists, blend and mix well and you have the recipe for this unique concert recorded last month at Kirkland Performance Center. Stanley Jordan is a master touch or tap-technique guitarist who has developed a world-wide enthusiastic following since he debuted on the Blue Note label in 1985.  Kevin Eubanks is most widely known as the guitarist/leader of The Tonight Show Band and Jay Leno's sidekick, but he had extensive experience as a jazz guitarist before, and has resumed his solo career since leaving The Tonight Show.  

In this studio session singer, Jackie Ryan, gives us three of her favorites:  a gospel-tinged version of Accentuate The Positive, a beautiful reading of I Loves You, Porgy and the Spanish-language song, La Puerta, dedicated to her mother.

As you’ll hear Jackie  say in this interview, she grew up singing.  After years as a touring R&B singer, Jackie discovered jazz and never looked back.  Today, she’s one of America’s finest jazz singers.