Judith Lorick Releases 'The Second Time Around'

JUDITH LORICK is a vocalist we should have heard from long before now. In an era of exaggeration and pyrotechnics, Judith's voice is a soothing reminder of what it means to have quality of tone and sophistication, all captured on her latest project, The Second Time Around, an array of popular pieces, warmly and refreshingly treated by Judith and her collaborator, multi-faceted pianist Eric Reed. Supplementing accompaniment is a diverse collection of talent including Jeremy Pelt on trumpet, McClenty Hunter on drums, Kiyoshi Kitagawa on bass, and a recent arrival to the music scene, tenor saxophonist Chris Lewis.

The Second Time Around celebrates several life events for Judith, most notably the reunion with her long lost love, Artie. To tell the story, Reed encouraged her to select songs that were intrinsic to it; not surprisingly, the most appropriate and moving songs turned out to be ballads. "Eric was in tune to the fact that singing ballads is something that I'm passionate about, and that this passion would resonate with others," Judith recalls. This heartwarming and poignant tale is rendered through the lyrics of tireless classics like "I'll Be Seeing You", the title track "The Second Time Around" and rarer gems like "Why Did I Choose You"and "I'm Gonna Laugh You Right Out of My Life". Judith explains her ease with the repertoire, stating, "Interpreting ballads comes naturally to me because they resonate in my soul, and that's where I sing from, where I live. As long as I can feel it, as long as I can react spontaneously in my interpretation and phrasing, I can relate honestly to people."More than anything, pure and unfettered honesty pours out of this project.

Judith's passion is not just limited to ballads, but to music in general. "My mother 'gave me voice'. She constantly had music on in our home, so by the time I was a teenager, and began to sing jazz, I already knew three hundred songs!"she exclaims. This carefully selected program of songs is rooted in Judith's natural proclivity towards education:"When I perform, I tend to do songs that people might not know because I feel part of my job is to make people aware of great songs that are rarely interpreted." In the midst of music, family, and a very successful business career, Judith has found and lost love, finding it againfour decades later; she has lived every lyric sung.

A native of Philadelphia (as is her collaborator Reed), Judith has traversed the globe not only as performer, but as resident, having spent extensive time in southern California, and almost thirty years in the south of France, where she first met Eric at an after-hours jam session in 1995, where "The magic was immediate,"she remembers. "When you breathe together like that, from the first note, well, it was a musical experience one never forgets." When Judith returned to the U.S. in 2014, they reconnected after one of Eric's performancesand not long after, their collaboration ensued - the secondtime around.

"Judith and I were diligent about every aspect of this project, which was a treat for me,"says Reed. "Her trust was paramount in doing this."Their due diligence paid off in the assemblage of a masterful and sympathetic quintet, an unusual choice for a vocal recording. Judith explains, "I love what Jeremy Pelt and Chris Lewis add to the overall sound. Sometimes, we were just going for sounds and colors versus full-on solos. Eric and I were interested in scoring a storyline versus simply recording songs."Illuminating further about her collaborator and co-producer, "Eric is amazing - talented, creative, meticulous, and sensitive. He's not merely an accompanist here, it's as if we're singing together."

Although the songs are familiar, the story of The Second Time Around, is a unique and moving saga about which Judith summarizes,"I'm glad I came home. It was time."