Album Notes

"...let elegance, also dexterity be recognized; the integrity of this fascinating musical composition should be heard on all smooth jazz and classic soul airwaves world wide; Ragan Whiteside is elegance and one to watch out for in the music industry… let the 'flutress' be heard."
- Gary Tann, ''Harlem after Midnite'', WHCR 90.3FM, NY

"She not only has THE silkiest and sweetest flute tone in the business, but her tenacity and desire to be recognized in Urban, New-Soul AND smooth jazz genres makes her a musical force to be reckoned with!! Mark my words!"

- Bob Baldwin – Grammy-Nominated Arranger

Flutist, vocalist, and songwriter, Ragan Whiteside is taking the Contemporary Jazz world by storm. With her unique style and soulful vibe, this "triple threat" is bringing the flute back into mainstream focus. After winning the 2006 Capital Jazz Challenge, Ragan returned to the 2007 Capital Jazz Festival with a new critically acclaimed album, "Class Axe", produced by Pianist/Arranger Bob Baldwin and Engineer/Arranger Extraordinaire Dennis Johnson.

Ragan began her musical studies at the age of 5, after her parents discovered she had perfect pitch. A piano, a drum set, and a violin later, Ragan focused her energies on playing the flute and studying classical music.

As she got older, Ragan discovered another love: Songwriting and Arranging. After winning numerous competitions in both performance and music composition throughout the United States, Ragan attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Harid Conservatory, where she earned her Bachelor of Music - Performance degree. Her due diligence paid off; she penned more than ½ of her debut disc, "Class Axe".

Upon her return to New York in pursuit of her musical dream, Ragan switched gears from Classical to Jazz, Funk, and R&B. This buzzworthy artist has performed and/or recorded with various musicians throughout the US, including Chuck Loeb, Marion Meadows, and Grammy Award winning opera singer Esther Hinds, and the previously mentioned Baldwin.

Ragan has also written songs on three albums: Baldwin's "The American Spirit" (Shanachie), the multi-faceted collection "Brown Sugar" (Shanachie) and later this summer, "New Urban Jazz" (215 Records). Ragan's solo album will be featured in the soundtrack for the upcoming independent film, "Unforgiven Sins". "Class Axe" was released to the public on June 2, 2007, the very date of her Cap Jazz repeat performance.

In addition to her musical skills, the multi-talented Whiteside is also a web-designer. Check out her self-designed site, www.RaganWhiteside.com. This Mt. Vernon, NY native is also honing her audio engineering skills, which would then make her a quadruple threat!!

With so many talents, one never knows how you'll hear from... or see this extraordinary Artist in the future. For starters, we urge you to check out her encore Cap Jazz performance this summer, and remember that we told you so…..Consider yourself warned!!