Reviews from the press
Current Reviews | 2005 Reviews for 'A Moment's Glance'
JazzTimes
"Three
years ago, with her debut release "A Moment's Glance", Julie Hardy
proved herself, as both singer and songwriter, a fresh force to be
reckoned with. Now Hardy is back to make good on that promise with an
even finer, more bracingly intuitive, assortment of originals and
covers. Among the latter, an acutely aching "We Kiss in a Shadow", an
"All or Nothing at All" that cleverly alternated between barren and
bounteous, an "I Fall in Love Too Easily" overflowing with
self-reflective remorse and a furtive scuttle through Lennon and
McCartney's "I'm Looking Through You" that borders on vengeful
consistently speak both to Hardy's interpretative astuteness and her
smarts as an arranger. Hardy is even more impressive when she crafts
her own material, drifting wordlessly through the lazy, sun-dappled
"August" etching the long-distance regret of "3000 Miles" and painting
vibrant vocal tone poems as she rides the varying waves of the titular
triptych that progresses from the gently forceful promise of "On the
Verge", through the calm interlude of "Patience" and on to the hallowed
majesty of "Soaring".
Christopher Loudon, JazzTimes
Downbeat
Surrounding herself with stellar New York musicians on her sophomore release The Wish, Julie Hardy interacts as a skilled, challenging improviser and vocalist, leading the way melodically and rhythmically. Whether through wordless, neo scatting or fully singing her clear-eyed lyrics, Hardy emits bell like clarity, cool precision and glowing warmth. The Wish allows more instrumental soloing space than the typical vocalist album and the other musicians repay the courtesy with fully committed, elastic support that brings everyone to the top of their game. Recalling the crisp tonality of folk singer Judy Collins coupled to the rhythmic dazzle of former Pat Metheny Group vocalist Pedro Aznar, Hardy remakes The Beatles' "I'm Looking Through You" into a high speed chase in a bubbling, rhythmic maze. It's hard to pin her down emotionally, though; Hardy never throws off a frivolous phrase or relies on a hackneyed standards approach. Hers is a serious art, based in songs of longing and reflection with arrangements that challenge anyone's notions of what constitutes forward-thinking music. Hardy's twisting, turning compositions are as thrilling as her vocals, allowing the musicians (drummer Kendrick Scott, especially) room to probe and explore. Hardy's dual melodic lines with saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Sam Sadigursky often form the basis for her original tracks but it's when she's recasting a song like "All or Nothing At All" that she really shines, with her angular rhythms and direct, freethinking style a treat.
Ken Micallef, Downbeat
New
York Times
"On her new album, "The Wish" (World Culture Music), Ms. Hardy burnishes her growing reputation as a musically astute and thoughtfully modern jazz singer."
Nate Chinen, New York Times
Julie has received a big feature in the Boston Review Phoenix!
"Voice
choices:
Stacey Kent and Julie Hardy find two different ways to make singing
swing...."
By: JON GARELICK
"Julie Hardy and Stacey Kent come at jazz singing from opposite ends of
the spectrum..."
Click here to
read the entire article.
Time Out New York
"Julie Hardy's new CD, The Wish, builds on the reputation of a singer well equipped to handle everything modern jazz vocalism demands: candlelit standards ("I Wish I Knew," "All Or Nothing at All"), repurposed pop hits (Lennon/McCartney's "I'm Looking Through You"), effortless improvisation and a strong writer's pen. See her now, while it's easy."
Live review of the Jazz Standard by Budd Kopman (All About Jazz)
Excerpts
from the review: "Hardy's voice is extremely pure, centered and
crystalline, and she uses a simple style that relies on her sureness of
pitch. When singing standards, she does not get into histrionics but
nevertheless communicates the song's emotional content while coming
across as open, vulnerable and in touch with both the song and the
audience...Thus far, Hardy sounds like any well-trained vocalist who
has spent the time and effort to go beyond singing and into
communicating the emotional depths of the song at hand. Admittedly, the
field is extremely crowded, and despite the very good performance,
standing out from the crowd will take something more. That something
else is Hardy's compositional and arranging talent, and it is not for
nothing that she won the 2006 ASCAP Young Jazz Composer's Award for
'Turning Back', from her first album A Moment's Glance (Fresh Sound New
Talent, 2005)...Hardy is an extremely talented musician who has a
natural ability to communicate not just through the words of a song but
also through her music, and is surely someone to watch."
Click here to read the entire review.
CD Review by Mark F. Turner of All About Jazz
"Julie Hardy proves that she is more than just your average jazz singer on The Wish. Hailing from New Hampshire with extensive studies in jazz and classical music, she continues to grow and hone her craft since her auspicious debut recording A Moment's Glance (Fresh Sound New Talent, 2005)...Her voice is crystalline, yet filled with warmth, feeling, and purity. She is capable of fitting into a variety of settings--leading, comping, and interacting--with all of the band members...There's a wealth of good music inside this recording. Hardy's "Wish Suite" ("On the Verge," "Patience," and "Soaring") is exquisitely arranged using improvisation, instrumental voices and vocalese, as she and the band perform harmoniously. Like contemporaries singers Luciana Souza, and Kurt Elling, Hardy uses lyrics and, equally importantly, her voice as an instrument, to artistically convey ideas...Bringing together a defined choreography of vocals and composition, The Wish is a wonderful recording for those who appreciate the sounds of voice, lyrics and instruments in total harmony."
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read the entire article.
Better Living Through MP3: Selected Sampling of What's Really Good by Ken Micaleff
"Julie Hardy's World Culture Music debut, The Wish, is the kind of clear eyed, clarion call recording that intimates the beauty of Charlie Parker, the melodic logic of Pat Metheny, and the simplicity of Jewel. Whether through wordless vocal riffing or perfectly enunciated lyrics, Hardy emits both hipster cool and glowing warmth. Recalling the mountaintop tonality of Judy Collins coupled to the rhythmic dazzle Argentine pop star Pedro Aznar, Hardy remakes the Beatles' "I'm Looking Through You" into a simmering, sunny whirlwind. And unlike some more traditionally minded jazz vocalists, Hardy pushes her band to provoke the gods, her vocals challenging them to sprint to the finish and come up aces. Interplay and artistry makes The Wish worthy listening."
Ottowa Citizen Digital
"Julie Hardy proves herself to be
doubly a treat on The Wish. On one hand, she's a strong interpreter of
well-known material. Her pure, earnest voice make the classic ballads
Meaning of the Blues and I Fall In Love Too Easily sound new again. She
winningly modernizes We Kiss In A Shadow and I Wish I Knew with subtle
add-ons. She's also got a knack for composing. On August, On the Verge
and other songs, Hardy uses her voice as an instrument to deliver
wordless melodies. Guest saxophonists Jaleel Shaw and Sam Sadigursky
enliven the CD, while guitarist Ben Monder, heard this month in Ottawa
with saxophonist Donny McCaslin, is a consummate accompanist and
soloist. With her voice and compositions, Hardy seems determined to
expand the tradition-bound box that too often defines jazz singers."
- Peter Hum
Courant.com
"There is so much to like on "The
Wish." Each track has something to recommend repeated listenings.
Whether it's Scott's wonderful drum work, Ingram's classy piano fills,
Clohesy's subtle and melodic underpinnings, the rich reed work of Shaw
and Sadigursky, Monder's sweet solos, or Hardy's cool yet impassioned
vocal work, this recording shimmers. But you have to really sit and
listen - if not, the music fades into the background. And, in the
background, a sameness sets in; one loses the subtlety of the vocals,
the words disappear and one misses the ever-shifting rhythmical
patterns. That would be a shame because Julie Hardy has created a work
of art that gets richer each time you listen."
Richard Kamins, Hartford Courant
Click here to read the entire article.
Portland Press Herald - Maine Sunday Telegram
"Hardy's voice a remarkable
instrument - Young jazz singer Julie Hardy is one to watch -- and
listen to."
Steve Feeney, Portland Press Herald
Jazz Review
"It seems like I waited forever
for Julie Hardy to release her new CD The Wish, an album released under
the banner of World Culture Music, an artist collective record label.
It was not so much the time that passed by that made me antsy, but the
anticipation of hearing her new compositions. This is Hardy's first
project since A Moment's Glance in 2005, and it is another masterpiece."
Joe Montague, Jazz Review
Rokovoko
"True confessions: Slower scat
singing and lyricless vocals generally bring out my inner giggling
middle-school student. I'm not proud of it, but there it is. Yet it
took jazz singer-composer Julie Hardy all of about 20 seconds to stare
down that little adenoidal smirker and seduce and marvel him with her
gentle but sure voice, concise intonation, calm conviction, and
enticing, angular tunes, harmonies, and arrangements. Of course, it
helps that she's playing with some top talents on Kendrick Scott's
World Culture Music--including drummer Scott himself--who seem to get
and join Hardy thoroughly."
Alexander C. Kafka, Rokovoko
Click here to read the entire article.
Midwest Record
"This young lioness is a multi
talented threat to be reckoned with. Making her mark here as jazz
vocalist, she's a recent ASCAP young composer award winner and has a
winning track record as working with the creme of the crop."
Chris Spector, Midwest Record
JazzReview.com
Julie is featured at JazzReview.com.
Here is an excerpt from her interview with Gerard O'Brien:
"Julie Hardy is a vocalist who is on a journey to take her chosen
instrument to its limit. Using words, phrasing, scatting and vocal
instrument duplication to make the voice function in unique and
innovative ways, she is traveling a road that promises to be aurally
stunning. Julie's voice is round, smooth and used with imagination and
impressive control."
