Album Notes

"Finally, a Christmas album from one of the finest interpreters of a well-written lyric. Even though the program you're about to hear contains mostly well-worn songs, Dewey Erney infuses each and every one with a newness and freshness such that you'll think you're hearing them for the first time - and one of them you are: the Jack Prather original, "Christmas, Rio and You," penned specifically for Dewey.

While it's hard to categorize what a true jazz singer is, there's no doubt in my mind that Dewey Erney possesses all the characteristics that define that designation. He has an inborn sense of jazz which he infuses into every note he intones. The musicians who support him are some of the finest in the jazz idiom. So with or without the scat and vocalese styles (of which Dewey is certainly capable, but mostly leaves to others), every tune he delivers is a true work of jazz art. When I first heard Dewey back in the 1980s, one of my strongest impressions was of his genuineness. This wasn't just a good, talented singer. I knew that this was a man singing directly from his soul - in fact, he couldn't do otherwise. I'm sure that you, the listener, will be touched to your soul also, as you enjoy Dewey Erney's special contribution to a very special season."

Notes from FRANCESCA NEMKO, contributor to Jazz Now, Jazz Times, Down Beat.