Judy Wexler has a sense of time and a innate feel for the lyric, two important ingredients, and when you add clarity of tone to the mix, you have one fine vocalist. From "Baby, Baby All The Time" to "Get Out Of Town" Wexler cut a wide swath, alternating jazzy hipness on the former and dusky counsel on the latter. Without a doubt, the ability to stay on pitch is a gift that one is born with and Judy Wexler is unerring in this facet of her musicianship. Julie Kelly and Denise Donatelli, t

Personnel: Jimmy Dykes (Piano)..Harvey Newmark (Bass) Doug MacDonald (Guitar)..Bobby Shugold (Flute)..Phil Feather (Oboe)..Brian Walsh (Clarinet)..Bob Carr (Bassoon)..Bob Summers (Trumpet)..Jack Coan (Trumpet)..Stephanie O'Keefe (French Horn)..Ira Nepus (TBone)..Bill Reichenbach (Tuba)..Jack LeCompte (Drums).. Doug MacDonald has assembled a most interesting group of musicians with instruments not often heard in Jazz ensembles. This eclectic mix was obviously well thought out by MacDonald beca

When Nancy Kelly strides on stage and picks up that microphone, an aura of excitement pervades the room. One can feel the electricity in the air that always precedes a special performance. There are many vocalists with certain attributes that enable them to perform acceptably, Kelly goes beyond this. The magical quality of Nancy Kelly lies in the fact that she has all of the aforementioned attributes, plus the intangibles that make her the "compleat" performer and arguably the top vocalist on

Making her debut at Michael D's with a flair, Denise Donatelli not only charmed a good sized crowd at this classy jazz emporium, (that included the legendary Pinky Winters and L.A. vocalist Judy Wexler), She literally bedazzled the gathered glitterati with a 'swinging' quality that one has to be born with and (sadly) few singers in this day and age possess. Donatelli's tone is crystal clear, the key is adhered to in every song, remarkably she never goes off pitch which makes for a relaxed lis

Jennifer Hall is an ardent admirer of Gerry Mulligan and his influence is prevalent in her playing but make no mistake, her own imprimatur is stamped on every tune. It was no surprise that "Bernie's Tune" kicked the festivities off, with Hall leading the way. Her blazing solo was a tribute that Mr. Mulligan would have been most appreciative of. He must have been bestowing his heavenly blessing on the proceedings, because this swing fest got off the ground in a hurry. The Tenor Saxophone wa