Jackie Ryan

December 2, 2002 - CNN Español Interview


"The Jazzist, Jackie Ryan blends her cultures (or nationalities) in the album, Passion Flower"

The diverse cultural package of the American singer, Jackie Ryan has given color to her new production Passion Flower, a menu principally of jazz that contains the famous Mexican theme, "Historia De Un Amor."

"I want to express all that I am as a singer. I was born listening to the mexican records of my mother, I later became interested in R&B and later in Jazz. "I am enchanted by Brazilian music, I love all music. On my record I didn't want to have just one single style because I feel I am more than that," said Ryan at CNN Espanol.

"Nevertheless, I thought it might be a little risky to put a mexican song on a jazz album. I don't know if anyone had ever done this before, but it is a part of who I am", added the singer about her first studio production that also incorporates portuguese themes.

"The first time I heard Portuguese music was probably about 20 years ago. It was the record, Amoroso by Joao Gilberto, and I believe it is the most romantic album I have ever heard in my life. I listened so much to it I wore it out. It is very romantic and the portuguese idiom (language) is very passionate. I studied it a bit because I loved the music so much that I wanted to sing it well", she said.

But Ryan, originally from San Francisco, has been singing since she was 4 yeras old. At 15 she started her professional career and has not stopped since.

"I accompanied my parents when they sang in the church. It is a marvelous experience to sing in front of an audience. You receive so much in exchange, so much love is transmitted, it is an interactive experience. For example, when a painter paints, the public goes there to see their art and appreciates it, but they are alone when they do it and do not get the immediate response as when one is singing", said the singer. (This I don't think I translated well, but it is the general idea.)

The musical influences of Ryan came partly from her family and of her mexican, irish and french nationalities, and also her travels to other countries and her relations to other artists. Because of this the artist says she feels comfortable singing in various idioms, especilally in derivitives of latin.

"I love the challenges", she stated. "There are many areas that I would like to explore, like for example the fado, that is a very beautiful music from Portugal. There are so many lovely compositions and so many places to explore, that I cannot see resting here," she added.