Jazz Vocalist Extraordinaire
Jack Wood has long been a popular attraction in the Southern California jazz scene. His warm voice and tasteful swinging style have won over many fans due to his classy treatments of classics from the Great American Songbook.
The Gal That Got Away consists of some of Wood’s finest recordings. On several of the numbers he is featured with the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra (performing Tom Garvin arrangements) while other selections have him singing swingers and ballads with a combo. At various times his supporting cast includes altoist Greg Floor, flugelhornist Buddy Childers, guitarists Ron Anthony and Doug MacDonald, and pianist Tom Ranier among others.
The program begins with Jack Wood’s enthusiastic vocal on “The Gypsy In My Soul,” clearly enjoying getting to soar over the big band. He engages in some superior bluesy ballad singing on “The Gal That Got Away” (made famous by Judy Garland in A Star Is Born as “The Man That Got Away”). Wood sings beautifully on Michel Legrand’s “I Will Wait For You” (which has some excellent alto playing from Floor), jams with the combo on “Secret Love” and “A Foggy Day,” and is quietly expressive on “The Shadow Of Your Smile.” He concludes the set with a concise but powerful version of “Come Rain Or Come Shine,” “A Day In The Life Of A Fool,” “One For My Baby” (which has a spot for Buddy Childers), and an intimate version of “Someone To Watch Over Me.”
A special treat of The Gal That Got Away is the inclusion of two selections featuring Australian singer Nichaud Fitzgibbon. When Wood discovered the appealing vocalist, he made it his mission to give American listeners opportunities to enjoy her talent. A duet album with the two singers of songs from the movies will be released in the future, but in the meantime one can savor Ms. Fitzgibbon’s performances of the joyful “It’s Crazy” and the haunting ballad “After Hours” which include solos by tenor-saxophonist Julian Wilson and pianist Mark Fitzgibbon.
Jack Wood has always believed in the timeless quality of the Great American Songbook. He began his career singing with the Ronnie Brown Trio; bassist John Clayton and drummer Jeff Hamilton were also in that group. While he has mostly been featured as a leader throughout his career, Wood has enjoyed performing with such musicians as pianist-singer Page Cavanaugh, tenor-saxophonist Pete Christlieb, guitarists Ron Eschete and John Pisano, and pianists Bill Miller, Rob Mullins, Llew Matthews, and George Gaffney among others. In his career, Jack Wood has recorded such albums as Baby, Baby, All The Time, Jazz And The Movies, Mr. Lucky, A Time For Love, Welcome To The Club, Salute To Sinatra, We Were Lovers, and The Good Life.
Jack Wood has a variety of performances upcoming including at Catalina Jazz Club in Hollywood (Mar. 27) with the Steve Rawlins Quintet, the Merc Jazz Club (Mar. 28), and performances at Campus JAX and in Salt Lake City at the Gallivan Center. Wherever he appears, the singer will be performing fresh, lively and heartfelt renditions of the classic gems that he loves. –Jim Eigo
Jack Wood, a vital part of the Los Angeles music scene for many years, has worked and recorded with some of the greatest musicians on the planet (see below). Jack is at his finest yet on We Were Lovers. His influences include Jack Jones, Frank Sinatra, and Tony Bennett, but he has developed his own sound and style that are easily heard on this wonderful new album. Most of the tracks were recorded with *Jerry Floor’s big band in Salt Lake City, but a few tracks were recorded in New York City with **The Lenore Raphael Quartet. The musicians are wonderful; the tunes and arrangements are fantastic music, and Jack’s vocal performances all leave you wanting more!! The arrangements were done by the amazing Tom Kubis and Henry Wolking. Henry also conducted The Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra and the strings, which he also arranged for What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life and The Look of Love.
Jack’s Discography from 1994-2021
•Baby, Baby All the Time with Jeff Hamilton (Diana Krall) and Luther Hughes (Jack Jones)
•Gypsy in My Soul with Joe Massimino (Tony Bennett), Doug MacDonald (Buddy Greco) and Joe LaBarbera (Bill Evans and Tony Bennett)
•Mr. Lucky with the Page Cavanaugh Trio including Dave Tull (Barbra Streisand)
•A Time for Love with George Gaffney (Sara Vaughn, Johnny Mathis), Llew Matthews (Nancy Wilson), Joe LaBarbera (Bill Evans and Tony Bennett), and John Pisano (Tijuana Brass)
•Gypsy in My Soul with Ron Anthony (Frank Sinatra), Llew Matthews (Nancy Wilson), Mike Shapiro (Herb Alpert)
•Jazz and the Movies with Bill Miller (Frank Sinatra), Pete Christlieb (Doc Severinsen’s Tonight Show Band), and Tom Ranier (Tony Bennett)
•Just in Time with George Gaffney (Sara Vaughn, Johnny Mathis), Chuck Berghoffer , and Gregg Field (Frank Sinatra)
•We Were Lovers with the Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra and the Lenore Raphael Quartet
•The Good Life with Joe Lano (Lena Horne and Frank Sinatra), Ray Smith, Jay Lawrence, and arrangements and guitar by Joe Lano, 2022
•The Gal That Got Away with the Salt Lake Jazz Orchestra and featuring Austrailian singer, Nichaud Fitzgibbon, 2024
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*The Salt Lake City Jazz Orchestra conducted by Henry Wolking, Recorded at Huge Sound in Salt Lake City, Utah
SAXES: Jerry Floor, Dave Hall, Brian Booth, Lemoyne Taylor, Keith Parietti
TRUMPETS: Keith Davis, Scott Acton, Austie Robinson, Celeste Robinson
TROMBONES: Alex Heitlinger, Kevin Stout, Nate Campbell, Neil Hendrickson
RHYTHM: Larry Jackstein and Kurt Reeder, piano; Doug MacDonald, guitar; Denson Angulo, bass; Jay Lawrence, drums
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**The Lenore Raphael Quartet, Recorded in New York City
Lenore Raphael, piano; Doug MacDonald, guitar; Hilliard “Hill” Greene, bass; Dwayne “Cook” Broadnax, drums