Jackie Ryan to Release A Valentine's Day Treat: Best of Love Songs

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Make every day Valentine's Day with "one of the outstanding vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time" (JazzTimes). Featured on NPR, Voice of America, CNN TV enEspañol, and Primetime A&E, "Jackie [Ryan] bridges gaps between both geography and generations" (Billboard). On Best of Love Songs, Jackie Ryan delivers 15 songs you can both fall in love with, and fall in love to.

Whether you are in the mood for a sensuous Brazilian love song, or a passionate Spanish bolero, a rarely performed jazz gem or a sizzling classic, these songs will keep the home fires burning. Legendary two-time Grammy-Award nominees Ernie Watts and Red Holloway ignite the sessions, backed by Jon Mayer, Tamir Hendelman, Larry Vuckovich, Jeff Hamilton,Jeff Chambers and a host of others.

Jackie turns up the heat on this journey through the full range of romantic feelings - from the opening flirtations of "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To" to the sensuous burning desires of "Make It Last." From the amorous musings of "This Heart Of Mine" to the final tender sweet reflections of "While We're Young," all the bases of love are touched - with stunning arrangements and stellar accompaniment by some of the world's finest jazz musicians.

Selected from three recordings released from 2002 to 2006, this collection reflects the breadth of this artist's myriad of musical talent. Classic romantic ballads like Harry Warren's "Serenade In Blue," and Ray Noble's "The Very Thought Of You," a swinging guitar rendition of Oscar Hammerstein's "When I Grow Too Old To Dream," and a poignant harp arrangement of Johnny Mandel and David Frishberg's "You Are There," illustrate the depth of Jackie's art. This collection of songs is rounded out further by two original compositions with Jackie's own insightful lyrics, "Once In Everyone's Life" and "Seasons of the Heart."

John Ballard, president of the OpenArt label and writer of three books on Third World social issues, will be donating 100% of the CD's 2010 profits to Oxfam's ongoing Haiti Relief Fund.

HIGHLIGHTS
• Legendary Sax and Trumpet greats ignite these sessions: Ernie Watts on "Make It Last," Red Holloway on "Let There Be Love" and "You'd Be So Nice To Come Home To," and Allen Smith on an upbeat take of the rarely performed "Now Or Never," penned by Billie Holiday.
• Two New Songs with Jackie's Original Lyrics: "Seasons of The Heart" and "Once In Everyone's Life."
• Three Latin Jazz Songs - in Portuguese and in Spanish, Reflecting the Heart of Jackie's Latin Heritage: "Luiza," "Bésame Mucho," and "Historia De Un Amor."

Jackie Ryan's 2009 release, DOOZY, was the #1 CD nationwide on JazzWeek's Industry-standard chart - for 7 weeks (a record exceeded by only one other vocal CD in the chart's entire history). Featuring guest artists Cyrus Chestnut, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Romero Lubambo and others, DOOZY was the 3rd most played jazz CD on radio for the entire year, finished at #3 on JazzWeek's Top 100 CDs of 2009, received four-star reviews from bothDownBeat and All Music Guide, and sat atop many critics' end of year lists. Jackie was one of 5 vocalists voted by critics to make JazzTimes' "Top 50 CDs of the Year."

Over the years, Jackie has gained a reputation as a "musician's singer." She has performed, recorded, or toured with: Clark Terry, Toots Thielemans, Barry Harris, Cyrus Chestnut, Terry Gibbs, Buddy DeFranco, Red Holloway, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Ernie Watts, Benny Green, Tamir Hendelman, Jeff Hamilton, Amina Figarova, Mike Wofford, Jon Mayer, Larry Vuckovich, and Jon Hendricks.