Acclaimed jazz vocalist, Jackie Ryan, will appear at Feinstein's at the Nikko tonight, August 20 at 8 p.m. for one performance only! Hailed as "a world-class talent" by the Los Angeles Times, the Bay Area native will perform her "Tribute to Michel Legrand." The team of composer Michel Legrand and lyricists Marilyn & Alan Bergman have won multiple Grammy and Academy Awards. Tickets for Jackie Ryan range in price from $25 - $40 and are on-sale now and available by calling 866.663.1063 or visiting www.ticketweb.com.
?Born in the San Francisco Bay Area,
Jackie Ryan thrilling audiences across the globe with her powerful 3 1Ž2 octave range and her magnetic stage presence - and amassing, along the way, an impressive array of records (three back-to-back #1 CDs on JazzWeek's nationwide chart) and glowing reviews. Both of her parents were singers. Her mother was born in Acapulco, Mexico, and sang in operettas at The Teatro Degollado in Guadalajara. And her Irish father was a classically trained baritone who sang in several languages. Due to this very natural musical environment, Jackie, who has had no formal training, started singing as a very young child. Her first love was listening to the beautiful Spanish albums of her mother when she was a child. "My parents had the most beautiful voices anyone had ever heard. Dad's was so powerful. And Mama was always singing around the house. And her singing was so loving and sweet. I have always equated music with that comforting, secure feeling I had from hearing them sing. This is why I have always sung."
Jackie started singing professionally when she was fifteen by joining a working band in High School. They toured around
California on the weekends playing dance halls and parties. In that band she sang the soulful R&B music she loved. The songs of Aretha Franklin, Otis Redding, Sam Cooke, and
Gladys Knight filled her repertoire. As soon as she graduated the band was asked to tour the US and Canada. After consistent heavy touring for four years, she realized that all the belting of gospel and Rhythm and Blues was taking its toll. At the age of 22, she was told by a vocal specialist that she needed to quit singing because it was discovered she had 'bowed' vocal cords. She studied then with the well-known speech therapist Roland Wyatt, for the next two years, never singing a note, only being allowed to perform vocal exercises to straighten her vocal cords.
It was towards the end of this difficult period that Jackie discovered Jazz on the radio. She heard the beautiful song by Fran Landesman and Tommy Wolf, "Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most" and had an immediate epiphany. She says. "I was knocked out by its beautiful melody and lyrics. I was bitten by the Jazz bug right then and there and have been hooked ever since!"
Jackie's voice was now stronger than ever. She soon auditioned for a local jazz trio and was immediately chosen to be their singer. Eventually others in the field heard her and offers started coming in.
Since then she has toured internationally, performed and recorded with some of the top musicians in the world including jazz vocalese master, Jon Hendricks, Cyrus Chestnut, Eric Alexander, The Jeff Hamilton Trio, Grammy Award winners, John and
Gerald Clayton (with whom she recorded her most recent CD "Listen Here", Clark Terry, Toots Thielemans, Larry Vuckovich, Buddy DeFranco, Terry Gibbs, Jon Mayer, Amina Figarova, and many others.
Jackie has sold out shows in such prestigious venues as New York's
Jazz At Lincoln Center Dizzy's Club Coca Cola and Birdland, Eight years at Ronnie Scott's Club in London, San Francisco and Oakland's Yoshi's, numerous Jazz festivals, as well as several sold out performances at the new SFJAZZ Center, in San Francisco.
Her live shows have been described by the critics as "magnificent", 'gripping' and 'extraordinary" and consistently leave audiences in standing ovations.
According to Jazz Times magazine's veteran critic, Christopher Loudon, Jackie "is one of the outstanding jazz vocalists of her generation and, quite possibly, of all time. She is the thoroughbred vocal equivalent of the Triple Crown, rivaling the dexterous sass of Sarah Vaughan, the instinctive smarts of Carmen McRae and the scintillating verve of Diana Krall."
Jackie will be performing with The Larry Dunlap Trio.
Located within Hotel Nikko (222 Mason Street, San Francisco), Feinstein's at the Nikko presents a wide range of entertainers from stage and screen all within an intimate 140-seat cabaret setting. There is a $20 food and beverage minimum per person inside the showroom which guests can use towards cocktails as well as a variety of small plates crafted exclusively for Feinstein's at the Nikko by Executive Chef Philippe Striffeler, through Restaurant Anzu. Cheese and dessert platters will also be available in the showroom.
All seating at Feinstein's at the Nikko is cabaret style and available on a first-come, first-served basis within the section purchased. Guests who purchase the prix-fixe dinner at Restaurant Anzu will receive a complimentary section upgrade (subject to availability) and get to choose their exact seat locations within the upgraded section.
Guests of Feinstein's at the Nikko can enjoy a variety of food and beverage options before performances. Kanpai Lounge, located in Hotel Nikko's lobby, offers light cuisine, a full bar and specialty cocktails. Restaurant Anzu, Hotel Nikko's intimate restaurant located on the second floor, serves sustainable
California cuisine enhanced with Asian flavors. Restaurant Anzu will also offer Feinstein's at the Nikko guests a special three-course prix-fixe dinner ($45 per person) prior to all performances.
Reservations can be made by calling (415) 394-1100.
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