Friday, December 8, 2023

Molly Ryan: Sweepin’ The Blues Away

If you’re a fan of ’30’s era jazz, you’ll want to check out the youthful and happy voice of singer Molly Ryan. Her album celebrates that time with a selection of familiar but rarely heard tunes. They are, one might say, rediscovered treasures, but certainly not obscurities. Among them are charmers like “A Cottage For Sale”, “You Turned The Tables On Me”, “I Wonder Who’s Kissing Her Now”, and perhaps my personal fave, Meredith Wilson’s nearly forgotten “You And I”. Ms. Ryan is joined here by a very swinging quartet featuring tenor and clarinet man Dan Levinson and the rapidly rising swing era pianist Rossano Sportiello. Rounding out the group are Rob Adkins, bass, and Kevin Dorn, drums. This is the sort of material that a Maxine Sullivan or Rebecca Kilgore might choose. And like the two of them, Molly Ryan depends only on her pretty voice and her sincere presentation. Quality songs have staying power, thanks to recordings like this.

Turtle Bay Records; 2022; appx. 47 min.

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