Ellynne Rey - Jazz Vocalist

“Talk about keeping it simple, jazz singer/songwriter Ellynne's latest album I Will has her singing her vocals with only a guitar and and bass accompaniment, and not only does she manage to make it work, she makes it magical.  It just goes to show, if you have the voice and if you have the material, you don't need all that lavish production. To coin a cliche, less is more…"  [read full article on the site]” - Jack Goodstein

“Singer Ellynne teams with bassist Harvie S and guitarist John Tropea for a rich set of seven originals and three covers.  Their minimalist approach is both deliberate and precise.  This combination leaves no place to hide unveiling true tonal character from start to finish… This is an enjoyable session!   4/4” - D. Oscar Groomes

“This appears to be a good time for a revival of stripped down combos matrixing showcases of individual talents, and Ellynne's I Will benefits from this…" [use link to read full article]” - Mark Tucker

“...This is one of those simple but elegant dates where the singer really puts it out front with everything she's got.  Well done.” - Chris Spector

“Ellynne is out of the singer/songwriter mode that drives critics, not to mention label executives, nuts, because she is not easily typecast into the myriad of sub-genres that are confusing the jazz idiom today.  Naturally, I felt compelled to add my own sub-genre, NPR Jazz:  solid, well performed, but a bit off the beaten path and this is a good thing…” - Brent Black

“Ellynne sings with a great alto voice through a half dozen standards here, as well as that many more of her own clever compositions. In concept, Plotnick brings to mind Bob Dorough and Dave Frishberg, though she fields a much more attractive voice with broader range than they do. The recording ends on a particularly poignant note, as he covers wonderfully the too little used Alec Wilder tune, "While We're Young." This is a strong recording by a fine new singer with both talent and taste. ” - Phillip McNally

“…Not just another romp through the chestnuts, Rey delivers the goods in the kind of tour de force that makes it all worthwhile again and again.  Well done and a solid treat for jazz vocal fans.” - Chris Spector

“Jazz CD Reviews – July 2014 July 1, 2014 Ellynne Rey A Little Bit Of Moonlight (self produced) Singing a nice selection of songs drawn mainly from the Great American Songbook interspersed with jazz pieces by Mal Waldron (Soul Eyes), Thelonious Monk (Ruby, My Dear), McCoy Tyner (You Taught My Heart To Sing) and Bill Evans (Blue In Green), Ellynne Rey shows herself to be a confident addition to the jazz singing scene. Ellynne has a warmly intimate style and is accompanied by pianist Bennett Paster, drummer Tony Jefferson, percussionist Daniel Sadownick, and notably by guitarist Gene Bertoncini and bassist Paul Beaudry. High points on the album include Ellynne and Gene on How Deep Is The Ocean and the Monk and Tyner songs, while Elynne and Paul share their obvious mutual respect and delight on What A Little Moonlight Can Do. Elsewhere, Bennett has several good solos and the percussionists keep things nicely buoyed, in particular on Latin-tinged tracks that include My One And Only Love and Besame Mucho. The care and understanding with which Ellynne interprets lyrics is evident throughout, and is demonstrated especially with Meredith D’Ambrosio’s words to Blue In Green, and on songbook staples such as I Fall In Love Too Easily, another example of singer with guitar and bass. Altogether, an attractive album that should appeal to many.” - Bruce Crowther

“ A Little Bit of Moonlight Ellynne Rey Available from CD Baby A review written for the Folk & Acoustic Music Exchangeby Mark S. Tucker(progdawg@hotmail.com) Bennett Paster (piano), Paul Beaudry (bass), and Tony Jefferson (drums) really set the tone for Ellynne Rey's A Little Bit of Moonlight in the intro to Make Someone Happy. The immortal Dindi is a weeper-cool classic, but Rey does something I've been wanting to hear for quite some time, injecting an upbeat tempo and tons of wistful smiles, almost reconverting the song…but not quite. It's still faithful but no longer on the down-lo, instead refreshingly sweet and full of girl-next-door desire. And I think we can call Rey a female crooner…but not always, as she has more than one musical poker in the fire. She couldn't have chosen better, though, than when she picked Bennett for the lead spot beneath her. The guy understands EXACTLY where the punctuations go and then shines like a star in solos, especially during Mal Waldron's Soul Eyes, bringing everything he does to its highest pitch. The guy can be delicate as bone china one moment and exuberant the next, neither trait clashing with the other in the least, no matter how closely allied. Ah, but then there's a set of Rey duets with famed guitarist Gene Bertoncini, starting with a really cool exercise in Charlie Byrd tonalities in How Deep is the Ocean. These numbers perhaps best illuminate Rey's bottom line, with Invitation later showing where her interpretations arise. Listen carefully, however, when Gene re-appears with the band in Blue in Green. Suddenly It's Spring picks up the pace again, but Moonlight is chiefly mellifluous on the up side of moody and wistful. If the bass intro to What a Little Moonlight Can Do doesn't make your heart skip a beat, then, brother, you may already be dead, and I'd check with a doctor just in case. Bertoncini glides in to make the cut a trio, Rey bops around a bit, and soon we're back in Jazz Pan Alley days, everyone swingin' 'n grinnin'. The disc features a generous 15 songs, and I suggest you reserve it for romantic occasions, to set the mood in satin and velvet. On the other hand, it'd sure go well with a rainy night or as accompaniment to a midnight cruise down a lonely highway. Whatever the milieu, Ms. Rey and her music sets the stage for the more thoughtful side of life and love, and if you decide to take a raincheck on that, well, don't be surprised if in your aesthetic library you get Scooby-Doo and The Archies comic books instead of literature.  ” - Mark S. Tucker

“New York based Ellynne Rey has a clear toned and earnest delivery that gives hints of Broadway on this mix of standards. Joined together with Paul Beaudry/b, Gene Bertoncini/g, Tony Jefferson/dr, Bennett Paster/p, and Daniel Sadownick/perc, she is able to show some gravitas on a dark "Soul Eyes" or a gentle reassurance on "Ruby My Dear." Her fragile delivery of "Invitation" is impressive, while she sounds upbeat on "Suddenly, It's Spring," and her vibrato is rich on "Besame Mucho." Eager to please!” - George W. Harris