No Wonder
Jewel City Jazz/A-Train, 2025
8/10
The veteran jazz vocalist Judy Wexler returns with a 7th album, where plenty of musicians help her flesh out 12 songs from the Great American Songbook.
The lively scatting of the title track opens with Danny Janklow’s soulful tenor sax and Steve Haas’ meticulous drumming making for much warmth, and “The Summer Knows” follows with Jay Jennings’ well timed trumpet and Larry Koonse’s moody guitar emitting a timeless jazz climate.
In the middle, “Wish You Were Here” benefits much from Gabe Davis’ animated bass that suits the expressive singing, while “Dance Me To The End Of Love” welcomes Jeff Colella’s graceful melodica and Bob Sheppard’s frisky clarinet for the album’s best that’s not short on grooves.
“A Weaver Of Dreams” and “The Night We Called It A Day” exit the listen. The former places Jennings on flugelhorn and Janklow on alto flute via the rich dynamics, and the latter is intimate, piano fueled moment that showcases Wexler’s powerful and soaring voice.
All the interpretations here are quite personal, as Wexler puts her own spin on classics in a heartfelt and timeless demeanor.
Travels well with: Judy Wexler- Back To The Garden; Laila Biali- Wintersongs