Album Review: Come Fly with Me from Judy Whitmore

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Album:  Come Fly with Me
Artist:  Judy Whitmore
Website:  https://www.judywhitmore.com/

The assortment of serenades, ballads, and torchlight tunes performed by vocalist Judy Whitmore on her latest release Come Fly with Me is an invitation to audiences to come along with her through a number of classic ballroom favorites from the Great American Songbook.  Her vocals particularly shine in “On an Evening in Roma," as her phrasing lures the listener along a dreamy jaunt with a playful hook in her resonance.  The subdued spurts of Hendrik Meurkens's harmonica have an elegant scribe, adding a pleasurable texture to the melody.

The starlight glitter emanating from the instrumentation in "Moonlight in Vermont" form beams of light around Whitmore's vocals as the floating strings swirl gracefully across the melodic progressions.  Meurkens returns for "April in Paris" decking the track with soaring twizzles on his harmonica.  Changing course, Whitmore performs a delightful vocal duet with singer Adam Aejaye Jackson whose bluesy timbres on "Georgia on My Mind" revive an American classic.

The arrangements by Chris Walden on Whitmore's recording bring out the warmth in her voice and the laid-back manner of her phrasing.   Judy Whitmore effortlessly transports listeners into a wondrous realm filled with pleasing aesthetics as she honors a nostalgic time preserved in the songs from the Great American Songbook.  

Musicians:
Judy Whitmore - vocals
Josh Nelson - piano
David Delhomme - B3 organ
Andrew Synowiec - guitar
George Doering - mandolin
Edwin Livingston - bass
Jamey Tate - drums
Pete Korpela - percussion
Nick Ariondo - percussion
Hendrik Meurkens - harmonica
Bob Sheppard - alto saxophone and flute
Jacob Scesney - tenor saxophone and alto flute
Greg Huckins - baritone saxophone and bass clarinet
Bob Schaer - trumpet and flugelhorn
Kye Palmer - trumpet and flugelhorn
Andy Martin - trombone
Ramsey Hampton - trombone
Adam Aejaye Jackson - harmony vocals on "Georgia on My Mind"

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