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| Vocalist, Renaissance Woman JUDY WHITMORE'S "Let's Fall in Love" w/Chris Walden Orchestra Vocalist JUDY WHITMORE is one of the finest interpreters and purveyors of songs from the Great American Songbook on the scene today. Now, for her newest album, LET'S FALL IN LOVE, she once again teamed up with maestro CHRIS WALDEN who arranged and produced a gorgeous compilation of songs that harken back to the golden age of big band music but updated with a contemporary sensibility. LET'S FALL IN LOVE is Whitmore's fifth album. It follows her 2024 release Come Fly with Me. All About Jazz said, "Is she a singer who respects the music, captures its heart, and makes listening to every song an undeniable pleasure? Absolutely." Whitmore's talents and interests are multifarious. She is a respected jazz performer and recording artist as well as a bestselling novelist, a theater producer, and a Marriage and Family therapist with a master's degree in clinical psychology. Though she now resides in California, she previously lived in Aspen, Colorado where her friend and neighbor, John Denver, learned she had a fear of flying. He invited her to face her fear by taking a ride on his plane. That was all she needed to start on a new adventure. She not only got a commercial pilot's license, but she also flew search-and-rescue missions for Pitkin County (Aspen) Air Rescue and went on to become a licensed Learjet captain. She also flew seaplanes and hot air balloons. Although she still writes and is currently working on another book, her main interests these days involve music. Besides performing and recording, she's on the board of directors of both the Pacific Symphony and the Pacific Jazz Orchestra. She says, "The board of the Pacific Symphony is committed to music and community outreach. It feels like a second family to me. I've endowed two of the Symphony's chairs. The Associate Concertmaster chair is the Judy and Wes Whitmore chair, and the Assistant Concertmaster chair is the Arlene and Seymour Grubman chair, which is named for my parents." Whitmore met Walden through the Pacific Jazz Orchestra, where he is the artistic director and conductor. Walden is a legendary composer, arranger, and conductor who has seven Grammy nominations, six Gold Albums and five Platinum Album Awards from the Recording Industry Association of America. He has worked with dozens of orchestras and big bands in the U.S., Europe, Asia, and Australia, as well as with countless jazz and pop artists from around the world. He produced and arranged Come Fly with Me, Whitmore's previous album. Besides a 22-member string section, LET'S FALL IN LOVE features some of the top jazz musicians mostly from Southern California, including JOSH NELSON (piano), ANDREW SYNOWIEC (guitar), EDWIN LIVINGSTON (bass), PETER ERSKINE (drums), WADE CULBREATH (vibraphone), HENDRIK MEURKENS (harmonica), JEFF DRISKILL, SAL LOZANO, JACOB SCESNEY, SEAN FRANZ, & CHAD SMITH (woodwinds), WAYNE BERGERON & KYE PALMER (trumpets), ANDY MARTIN & ALEX ILES (trombones), LAURA BRENES (French horn), and GAYLE LEVANT (harp). LET'S FALL IN LOVE comprises a dozen love songs from the Great American Songbook featuring Whitmore's swinging, sparkling voice and Walden's lush, romantic arrangements. Whitmore opens the album with an effervescent version of "I'll Take Romance, " featuring a sax solo by Driskill. She explains her joyful take of the song, "If you look up the definition of romance, you'll find words like mystery, glamour, excitement, colorfulness. You can fall in love with a destination, like Paris, or a food like pizza, or a song." Whitmore is a huge fan of Cole Porter's beautiful melodies and sophisticated lyrics. She sings two of his songs on this album. Her sexy version of "All of You" is complemented with Hendrik Meurkens' warm, lyrical harmonica solo. "It's All Right with Me" is one of Porter's most haunting torch songs, capturing the bittersweet experience of unrequited love. It features Nelson's elegant solo set against a backdrop of sweeping strings. Whitmore plumbs the emotional depth of the delicate and graceful melody of Johnny Mandel's "A Time for Love" with her spare but affective reading. "Taking A Chance on Love" was originally sung by Ethel Waters in the 1940 Broadway show Cabin in the Sky. It's also the name of the first musical that Whitmore produced. Whitmore says, "Needless to say, I've had a life-long love affair with this song." When Whitmore was a little girl, she would sing along to Judy Garland's Carnegie Hall album and would play "How Long Has This Been Going On" over and over. Whitmore wanted to sing a duet with TY TAYLOR, best known as the lead singer of Los Angeles soul rock band Vintage Trouble, since first hearing one of his recordings. Whitmore says, "Ty's voice is smooth and dreamy, and we had fun recording this tune together." Whitmore is particularly smitten by the lyrics to "The Very Thought of You." As she says, "I love the sensuality of the lyrics: 'You'll never know, how slow the moments go till I'm near to you.' Wow!" "Crazy He Calls Me" evokes the feelings and complexities of new love. The song has been performed by countless artists, but Whitmore decided to sing it after hearing Rod Stewart's version. "More Than You Know" is a charming song about a woman who expresses her deep love for her intended. Whitmore sings it with a restrained passion that gives it great emotional depth. "I've Got a Crush on You" is one of the most popular songs in the vocal jazz repertoire. Whitmore's captivating interpretation is matched by Walden's lush arrangement and dynamic piano solo by Nelson. Whitmore is a superb interpreter of romantic ballads as she so ably demonstrates on Irving Berlin's "How Deep is the Ocean." Although she is accomplished in so many disparate areas, being named after Judy Garland, a friend of her grandfather who was a violinist for the MGM Studio Orchestra, it seems almost inevitable that Judy Whitmore would be an accomplished singer as well. Whether swinging like a horn or plumbing the poignant depths of a ballad, Whitmore adds her name to the distinguished champions of the Great American Songbook. Along with Chris Walden's luxurious arrangements and the brilliant musicianship of Josh Nelson, Andrew Synowiec, and Peter Erskine and a full orchestra, LET'S FALL IN LOVE is a delightful excursion into some of the finest songs of the 20th century. # # # LET'S FALL IN LOVE was released on April 25, 2025 and is available on Amazon and all streaming platforms. write your comments about the article :: © 2025 Jazz News :: home page |