There’s an intimacy about vocalist LM Pagano that makes people, whether they’re late-night radio listeners or big-time record producers, sit up and take notice. Los Angeles disc jockey Bo Leibowitz can tell you. When he played a song from the singer’s CD on his show, he got four calls from listeners before the number ended. Soon, the recording made its way into the hands of jazz promoter Dick LaPalm and famed producer Al Schmitt, who remixed and released the album, "Azalea," on his label, Bop …

After two locally distributed CDs, Hawaii-based vocalist Azure McCall has released her first national effort with "The Gift." The CD serves as a strong introduction to McCall for the recording showcases her deep, honey voice and a wide-ranging repertoire. Whether the song is a jazz standard or a pop tune, the music has an air of earthy spirituality much like McCall herself. "My voice is my gift," she said. "I want to reach out and touch people with my music." McCall moved to Hawaii in 1 …

Suzy Bogguss is best known for a steady string of country hits, but she’s never been limited to a single style. On "Swing" (Compadre), the singer demonstrates her flair for classic jazz and Western swing numbers. Here, Duke Ellington meets Bob Wills. The result is a CD that radiates with charm. One reviewer recently called it the "most elegant pop-jazz record of the year." Bogguss, whose hits include "Aces," "Outbound Plane" and "Drive South," isn’t new to some of the jazz material found o …

Jackie Ryan is an international jazz star. She frequently plays both coasts and overseas, where her gig at Ronnie Scott’s in London garnered the critical praise: "One of the finest singers to perform at Ronnie's since Shirley Horn." --The London Evening Standard. Ryan has shared the stage and recording studio with many greats including Clark Terry, Red Holloway and Buddy DeFranco. Her recordings and performances generate a genuine heat, which rises above the "flavor of the month" excit …

With his new album On The Moon (Concord), rising star Peter Cincotti manages to avoid the dreaded "sophomore slump", place his unique personal stamp on a label already filthy rich with great jazz artists, and sets the stage for making him a household name in the upcoming months. The way the 21-year-old New Yorker tells it, the main reason for this is his growing confidence as a songwriter. "I’ve been writing more of my own lyrics this year," Cincotti explained in a recent …