Jackie Ryan – Vocals
Tamir Hendelman – Piano
Alex Frank – Bass
Dean Koba – Drums
One of the outstanding jazz vocalists of her generation, singer Jackie Ryan is accompanied by talented pianist Tamir Hendelman and his trio, with superb bassist Alex Frank, and dynamic drummer Dean Koba. Jackie Ryan is a passionate and sensational vocalist who has the dexterity of Sarah Vaughn, the instinctive smarts of Carmen McRae, and the verve of Diana Krall. She is an extraordinary world class talent who is gifted with astonishing emotional and stylistic range. Jackie Ryan sings from the heart with savvy, interpretative assurance.
Pianist Tamir Hendelman is a virtuoso pianist who plays with exhilaration and a fullness of content and intensity, offering new presentations of tunes. He is a captivating player who plays with sensitivity, introspection, strength, and swing, and flawlessly uses dynamics with a wonderful touch, improvising with considerable sympathy with his trio to harmonize, blend, and support vocalist, Jackie Ryan.
Bassist Alex Frank is an accomplished player who follows in the lineage of jazz bass great, Ray Brown. Drummer Dean Koba is an energetic, imaginative, spontaneous, in-demand player who follows in the lineage of drumming great, Jeff Hamilton.
Vocalist Jackie Ryan sings a myriad of jazz idioms from blues and gospel flavored jazz gems to love songs, ballads, classics, samba rhythms, and originals.
She sings with an astonishing contralto voice, possessing a 3 and a half octave range, and magnetic stage presence. Jackie has recorded 7 CD’s as a leader, and has received #1 nationwide position on the “JazzWeeks’s” industry’s standard charts. Ryan has recorded and or performed with John Clayton, Cyrus Chesnut, Eric Alexander, Jeremy Pelt, Carl Allen, Ray Drummond, Romero Lubambo, Red Holloway, Tamir Hendelman, Jeff Hamilton, Toots Thielemans, Clark Terry, Buddy DeFranco, Ernie Watts, Harry Allen, Scott Hamilton, Gerald Clayton, Amina Figarova, Mike Wofford, Jon Mayer, Larry Vuccovich, Barry Harris, Bill Cunliffe, Shelly Berg, Benny Green, Terry Gibbs, Emil Richards, Jon Hendricks, Obed Calvaire, Rickey Woodard, Gilbert Castellanos, and Graham Dechter. Jackie has great cross-cultural appeal. She is part Irish and part Mexican, and sings Spanish, Brazilian/Portuguese, and English lyrics with unadorned sincerety, and a keen ear for jazz phrasing and its’ internal rhymes. Jackie’s fresh approach to singing locks herself into the spirit of a song. Ryan’s intimate singing style draws the listener into a one on one experience. Jackie is an extraordinarily gifted artist who follows in the great lineage of vocalists like Billie Holiday, Sarah Vaughn, Peggy Lee, Carmen McRae, Ella Fitzgerald, and Abbey Lincoln, yet maintaining her own unmistakeable identity. Award winning pianist Tamir Hendelman plays with high praise as an accompanist for vocalist Jackie Ryan in every note he plays. Leader of his own Trio, Tamir has been both an integral part of Jeff Hamilton’s Trio and a member of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra for nearly 20 years. Tamir has played with jazz greats like Harry Allen, Teddy Edwards, Warren Vache, Houston Person, John and Jeff Clayton, Nick Brignola, Phil Upchurch, Rickey Woodard, Barbara Morrison and several others.
Tamir started on the keyboard at the age of 6, moved from Tel Aviv to the U.S. at the age of 12, and won the Yamaha National Keyboard Competition at the age of 14. Tamir has performed in Japan and at The Kennedy Center. He studied at the Tanglewood Institute, received his degree at Eastman School of Music, and was named the youngest director of The Lovewell Institute. Tamir has been an in-demand pianist and arranger for nearly 25 years, and has played on several international world tours. Tamir has received awards from ASCAP and The National Foundation For The Advancement of The Arts, has been a soloist in The Henry Mancini Institute Orchestra, premiered Oscar Peterson’s “Canadian Suite” at the Hollywood Bowl, toured with vocalist Tierney Sutton ands Bill Holman’s Big Band, directed Julia Mignes’ “Alter Ego”, and recorded on Roberta Gambarini’s “Easy To Love”. Tamir has recorded with The Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, John Pizzarelli, Gladys Knight, Diana Krall, on Jackie Ryan’s “You, The Night And The Music”, on Janis Mann’s “A Perfect Time”, and on Natalie Cole’s “Still Unforgetable”. Tamir has recorded 2 CD’s as a leader with his Trio, exploring standards, Brazilian music, Blues, and his Israeli roots. Tamir currently teaches at UCLA’s Herb Alpert School of Music. Tamir and his talented Trio create an irrisistable, buoyant, rhythmic flow in their playing as a tight knit group.
Bassist Alex Frank started the bass at the age of 14, later studying with Peter Dominguez and Eddie Gomez and graduating from Oberlin College. Alex is a member of Tamir Hendelman’s Trio, The Lineage Trio with Graham Dechter and Ryan Shaw, Bruce Forman’s Cow- Bop Band, The Mildred Snitzer Orchestra, and the tribute band to the music of Nat King Cole, “Too Marvelous For Words”. Alex has recorded with Jeff Goldblum, Bill Cunliffe, Bruce Forman, Peter Erskine, Tamie Hendelman, Renee Olstead, Richard Shelton, Ty Taylor, Spencer Day, Landau Murphy Jr., and Nas. Alex has played with dozens of top artists like George Benson, Molly Ringwald, Benny Golson, Niki Haris, Matthew Morrison, Macy Gray, Bobby Rydell, Tierney Sutton, Jeff Hamilton, Barbara Morrison, James Torme, Jane Monheit, and Pat Williams. Alex has played in T.V., Film, and Radio. He appeared in “Jersey Boys”, The Jimmy Kimmel Show, “Modern Family”,” Black Nativity”, The Today Show, “You’re The Worst”, Graham Norton Show, and The Late, Late Show with James Corden. Alex was inducted in the Texas Western Swing Hall of Fame, and was 2nd in The International Society of Bassists” Jazz Competition. Alex Frank has appeared on 7 jazz recordings, and also arranges and composes. His song “It’s Pure A.C.” was chosen as the official anthem for Atlantic City. Alex was a finalist in the 23rd Annual USA Songwriting Competition for the song “Lost ands Found”.
Drummer Dean Koba has performed in Southern California for 30 years, and played and recorded with over 50 major artists. Dean plays regularly with Tamir Hendelman, Barry Zweig, Greg Reitan, 25 years at Disneyland, with acts that include The Jambalaya Jazz Band, and The Royal Street Bachelors. Dean received his degree in percussion at Northwestern University, and his Masters degree in Jazz studies at USC. Dean has taught at Long Beach City College, Mt. San Antonio College, and El Camino College. Dean is especially influenced by The Bill Evans Trio sound, particularly the groups with drummer Joe LaBarbera. Dean Koba has appeared on 20 recordings.