Invitation

If you have been wondering lately where the contemporary practitioners that are capable of carrying on and expanding the tradition of the previous Jazz greats that you love are, well wonder no more-introducing the sophisticated and engaging voice of Jazz vocalist Ruth Aguilar! This native New Yorker is an accomplished singer with classic Jazz sensibilities and a refreshingly unique vocal sound who delivers soulful interpretations with poignant and imaginative phrasing. Her tasteful and agile improvisational skill and natural sense of rhythm and timing captivate her audience at every live performance and these qualities are amply demonstrated on her debut CD release An Invitation. quot;Aguilar is a stylistically mature singer. Her voice is strong and appealing; she has a natural jazz feeling; and sings tastefully and confidently.quot;-Joe Lang, Jersey Jazz Magazine Ruth-or 'Ruthie' as she is called by her friends-studied classical voice and earned a BA in Music from the University of St. Thomas in Houston where she spent much of her childhood. Subsequently, she returned to New York City and began studying with nine time Grammy® Award winner and founder of The Manhattan Transfer Janis Siegel, Grammy® Award nominee Tierney Sutton, and vocalist-composer Ann Hampton Callaway and has continued to explore the world of Jazz while performing as a Jazz artist ever since. She has performed live in the New York area over the past several years, continuing to build her chops and perfecting her performance style. Her influences include Billie Holiday, Elle Fitzgerald and Nancy Wilson, yet Aguilar's is a fresh new voice with impeccable pitch and control which defies easy description and must be heard to be truly appreciated. quot;Her voice is beautiful, perfectly in-tune, versatile, and she sings jazz with a winning spirit.quot; -Scott Yanow, LA Jazz Scene, Jazz Historian and Journalist An Invitation reveals new facets of familiar material and shines an elegant light on lesser known songs of the classic Jazz repertoire through Ruthie's broad range of vocal skill and her original arrangements. The CD features eleven songs that showcase her flawless timing and phrasing which she delivers with honest sincerity. Her Latin heritage is highlighted and celebrated with her interpretations and arrangements of quot;The Nearness of You,quot; quot;You Don't Know What Love Is,quot; and quot;You Can't Rush Spring.quot; In addition, Ruthie's love of all things quot;Billiequot; is exquisitely displayed on the ballads quot;You've Changed,quot; quot;Good Morning Heartache,quot; quot;Don't Explain,quot; and her effervescent arrangement and engaging interpretation of quot;God Bless the Child.quot; quot;This easily recommended set makes one look forward to her future recordings and to seeing her perform live.quot;-Scott Yanow An Invitation is a must for an intimate evening or a social gathering, but seeing this talented and subtle performer live demonstrates just how transcendent a live performance can be and why we are compelled to keep coming back to those who are capable of delivering it time and again.