Reviews from the press
Current Reviews | 2005 Reviews for 'A Moment's Glance'
JazzTimes
"...ingenious covers...and perspicacious originals...Hardy lives, like [Kurt] Elling and [Bobby] McFerrin, in a musical world of her own, and it is a marvelously dynamic place."
Chris Louden
Click here to read the entire review.
Time Out New York, March 31 - April 6
"Julie Hardy's newly issued debut CD, A Moment's Glance (Fresh Sound New Talent), introduces a singer well equipped to handle everything modern jazz vocalism demands: candlelit standards ("My Romance"), repurposed pop hits ("And I Love Him"), effortless improvisation and a strong writer's pen. Saxist Rob Stillman surrounds Hardy's dark-velvet voice with breathy intimacies; the rhythm section of Randy Ingram, Ben Street, and Adam Cruz keep things on a steady simmer."
Steve Smith
Jazz Week, March 23, 2005
"...Hardy's voice is acrobatic and pliable but she doesn't rub her formidable skills in your face, delivering the words in a tone that is often soft and impressionistic as Luciana Souza. She's also a musician as much as a singer of lyrics as she dives into rhythms and harmonies...using a musical intellect that is bright and intuitive."
Tad Hendrickson
Fred Hersch, Pianist
"Julie Hardy is a distinctive and intriguing young vocalist with a beautiful voice and a promising future."
Bob Blumenthal, Grammy award winning writer
"...a singer with admirable intonation and time, excellent taste, and feeling well beyond her years."
All Music Guide, October 2005
"From the first selection, a reharmonized version of the Beatles' "And I Love Him," it is obvious that Hardy is a musician in addition to being a singer..."A Moment's Glance" is a very impressive debut for Julie Hardy." - Scott Yanow
Click here to read the entire review.
All About Jazz, August 15, 2005
"Julie Hardy's first album, A Moment's Glance, is a good representation of the hard-working jazz vocalist...Hardy utilizes a well-chosen list of eight tunes to showcase her singing and compositional abilities... sensitive delivery on a rarely heard vocal version of [Haunted Heart] makes it the best piece on the album.
allaboutjazz.com
The Hartford Courant, June 16, 2005
"...This recording does young Julie Hardy justice, displaying her facile voice and songwriting abilities and paving the way for her future. She works well within the band, giving everyone a chance to shine, but also thriving on their collective energy..."
Richard Kamins
WNTI.org
"...Hardy's credentials are exemplary and her musicianship is of the highest order. She approaches her material too with the highest standards and delivers, melding her voice with her band as they become one unit devoted to the message of the music. Her scatting underscores the solidness of her technique, with crystalline intonation. Emotionally, she knows whereof the lyrics are grounded and adds her own insights to complement them, whether they are standards or original compositions..."
John Hammel
SmoothVibes.com
"In some ways creating Julie Hardy's debut CD A Moment's Glance has been a lot like riding a bicycle built for two. Teaming up with boyfriend Randy Ingram a superb pianist Hardy's smooth Jazz vocals, original compositions and improvisations have made a statement that she is here to stay...."
Canadian jazz writer, Joe Montague has written a great piece about Julie. Here are some excerpts.
Click here to read the entire article.
Good Times Magazine, April 2005 (Maine)
"New Hampshire jazz fans already know about Julie Hardy. Raised in Fremont, she gigged around the Portsmouth area while attending the University of New Hampshire and the New England Conservatory in Boston. More music lovers will find out what a fine emerging talent she is with this new disc, her first release on the Fresh Sound New Talent label. Dominique Eade, Rebecca Parris and Luciana Souza are some of the influences Hardy cites for her vocal approach on "A Moment's Glance", and influences as far on the fringe as Souza can be heard in the long scat and "vocalease" passages on several tracks.
"No Turning Back" and "Real Lies" feature Hardy's throaty soprano soaring over spirited post-bop accompaniment. It's a tribute to Hardy's vision that each of the wordless tunes tells a complete musical story. Pianist Randy Ingram, a former schoolmate and longtime friend or Hardy, completes the group. The pianist and singer connect particularly well onthe classics "My Romance" and "Haunted Heart", where Hardy reveals that feeling is a s important an element to her approach as technique.
The title track is one of four Hardy originals on the disc, an engrossing love song that lyrically tells a story while the arrangement compliments the mood. "Growing" is one of those Latin-tinged romps that pleasantly get stuck in your head, thanks to the fine vocal talent of this up-and-coming singer with deep roots in the Granite State."
Steve Feeney
