July 2021 – Judy Wexler

take effect

Much beauty, soulfulness and expressive singing… she brings grace and adventurousness to songs we already love, effectively putting a fresh coat of paint on them in her own inestimable and exciting vision.

– Take Effect

roots music

Passionate and filled with memorable passages from a solid repertoire, Back to the Garden is a joyful, timeless expression of lyrical depth. Judy Wexler’s sublime voice is confident, assuring and optimistic. It left me wanting more.”

– Roots Music Report

jazz journal

Judy Wexler has selected pop songs from the 1960s, but in her performance steers them skilfully into jazz territory. Wexler’s interpretations are particularly pleasing because she not only turns them into fluid jazz songs, but her crystal-clear diction and subtle phrasing drive home those original messages set out by the lyricists. Thoroughly enjoyable, and especially for those with long memories.

– Jazz Journal UK

all about jazz – back to the garden is quite a recording

Back to the Garden is quite a recording. Judy Wexler—petite in stature, but tremendously talented and agile in artistry–delivers her finest performance and certainly most ambitious album to date. Wexler’s awesome vocal talent, dexterity, and expressive flair lavishly wash across the session.

– All About Jazz

marc myers

Back to the Garden breathes fresh life into these songs and gives them a jazz feel with the elegance and sensitivity they deserve… Much should be said about Judy’s sparkling vocals and the shrewd arrangements. Passionate and reverential, Judy never tries to drag these sacred period songs into another space nor does she approach the material with the assumption they need a makeover. Instead, she sings as if she’s of the music and the era, and she takes chances in the right places with a voice that is sufficiently agile and powerful to meet the songs’ challenges on their own terms.

– Marc Myers, JazzWax