Draft:Monika Ryan
Musical artist
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Monika Ryan (born Monika Wolanczyk, July 2, 1975) is an American jazz vocalist, songwriter, and record producer based in Lawrence Township, New Jersey. She has released 17 studio albums on her own independent label, Resensitize Records, since her debut in 2000.[1] Known for writing almost exclusively original material — a relative rarity in vocal jazz — Ryan's work has been reviewed in publications including DownBeat, JAZZIZ, Jazz Journal, and the Los Angeles Times.[2] She is a voting member of the Recording Academy and a member of ASCAP.[3]
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July 2, 1975
- Vocalist
- songwriter
- composer
- arranger
- record producer
Monika Ryan | |
|---|---|
 Ryan performing at the Cutting Room, New York City, 2023 | |
| Background information | |
| Born | Monika Wolanczyk July 2, 1975 Greenwich Village, New York City, U.S. |
| Origin | Greenwich Village, New York City, U.S. |
| Genres | Jazz vocals, jazz |
| Occupations |
|
| Instrument | Vocals |
| Years active | 1997–present |
| Label | Resensitize Records |
| Website | monikaryan |
Early life and education
Ryan was born on July 2, 1975, and raised in Greenwich Village, New York City.[4] She was raised in the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) and attended PS 3 in her early childhood, followed by The Friends Seminary for middle and high school.[citation needed] She has cited Ella Fitzgerald's Greatest Hits Volume II as the record that first drew her to jazz.[5] She began performing in New York jazz clubs at approximately age 15 and had professional management by age 16.[6]
Saxophonist Houston Person supported her admission to The New School for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, where she earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Vocal Jazz in 1997.[citation needed][6] At The New School, she studied privately with vocalist Jackie Paris and took classes with Sheila Jordan. Additional faculty with whom she studied included Buster Williams, Reggie Workman, Chico Hamilton, Charli Persip, Junior Mance, and Arnie Lawrence.[6]
While still a teenager, Ryan was hired by Charli Persip to sing with his big band Superband (also known as Precipitation), was invited onstage by vocalist Jon Hendricks, and was recruited by trombonist Al Grey to perform with his band.[3] She was rostered by Carnegie Hall for two seasons of its Neighborhood Concert Series at approximately age 22–23, and recorded at Carnegie Hall's studio with guitarist Gene Bertoncini.[6]
Ryan performed under the stage name Monika Brand throughout her early career, having adopted the name from one of her grandparents.[3] She married Jeremy Ryan on October 17, 1998, at the 15th Street Monthly Meeting of Friends in Manhattan,[citation needed] and subsequently changed her legal and professional name to Monika Ryan around 2002.[7] Together, the couple founded Resensitize Records, which has released all of her subsequent recordings.[7]
Career
Ryan released her debut album, Love, in 2000 under the name Monika Brand on Resensitize Records. The same year, she headlined the Montreal International Jazz Festival.[3] In 2001 and 2002, she toured Japan, performing at the Big Apple in Nonoichi Jazz Festival alongside musicians including Jon Faddis, David Hazeltine, Akira Tana, James Williams, Bill Pierce, and Tony Reedus.[3]
She released her second album, Duo, in 2003 in collaboration with guitarist Satoshi Inoue.[2] After a gap of approximately a decade, she resumed releasing albums with Involution in 2014, followed by four releases in 2016: Sketches, Fly, Crash, and the holiday album Merry (with guitarist David O'Rourke). She has maintained an annual or near-annual release schedule since.
Her 2017 album Windmills — a tribute to lyricists Alan and Marilyn Bergman, and the only album in her catalog composed entirely of existing material — received reviews in All About Jazz, Jazz Weekly, and JAZZIZ.[8] Her 2024 album Alive was recorded partly in Valencia, Spain, and incorporates Latin jazz textures.[9]
Her most recent release, Sweetness (February 21, 2025), features Spike Wilner (piano), Neal Miner (bass), Joe Strasser (drums), and Adrian Galante (clarinet).[3] A further album was reported to be in progress for 2026.[1]
Ryan serves as vocalist, songwriter, producer, arranger, and mixing and mastering engineer on her recordings, and designs her own album artwork.[10] Her husband Jeremy Ryan has contributed as engineer on several projects. Resensitize Records, which releases all of her work, is based in Lawrence Township, New Jersey.[7]
Musical style
Ryan's critical reception has placed her work at the intersection of jazz, cabaret, and theater. DownBeat critic John McDonough described her as occupying "that chic space where the frontiers of jazz, theater, and cabaret converge."[2] Don Heckman of the Los Angeles Times noted a distinctive "slight buzz" to her voice as a defining characteristic of her sound.[2]
Ryan has cited Carmen McRae as her primary influence, alongside Ella Fitzgerald and Shirley Horn. She has named McRae's Carmen Sings Monk and Horn's Here's to Life as formative recordings.[11] Her original compositions explore themes of love, personal growth, and stoicism; critics have compared the sophistication of her lyrics to the work of Cole Porter.[12]
Her catalog spans a range of jazz sub-styles, including swing, bebop, largely improvised jazz (Sketches, 2016), and Latin-influenced jazz (Alive, 2024).[9] She has also recorded pop-influenced material (Fly, 2016) and two holiday albums (Merry, 2016; Christmastime, 2022).
Discography
Studio albums
| # | Title | Year | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Love | 2000 | Debut; released as Monika Brand; all original compositions |
| 2 | Duo | 2003 | With guitarist Satoshi Inoue |
| 3 | Involution | 2014 | |
| 4 | Sketches | 2016 | Largely improvised |
| 5 | Fly | 2016 | Pop-jazz |
| 6 | Crash | 2016 | |
| 7 | Merry | 2016 | Holiday album; with David O'Rourke |
| 8 | Windmills | 2017 | Alan & Marilyn Bergman tribute; Global Music Award and Clouzine International Music Award winner |
| 9 | Now | 2018 | Digital release |
| 10 | Changes | 2018 | Recorded in Evanston, Illinois; Global Music Award and Clouzine International Music Award winner |
| 11 | Lullabies | 2019 | Global Music Award and Clouzine International Music Award winner |
| 12 | Meditations | 2021 | |
| 13 | Christmastime | 2022 | Holiday album |
| 14 | Aakasha | 2022 | Global Music Award winner |
| 15 | Playfully | 2023 | 11 original compositions; two Global Music Awards |
| 16 | Alive | 2024 | 13 songs; Latin jazz elements; recorded partly in Valencia, Spain; two Silver Global Music Awards |
| 17 | Sweetness | 2025 | 10 original compositions; feat. Spike Wilner, Neal Miner, Joe Strasser, Adrian Galante |
Singles (selected)
- Oh My My (2020)
- Swooning (2021)
- Dream Come True (from Sweetness, 2025)
Live performances
Ryan's live performance history includes appearances in the United States, Japan, Ireland, Germany, and Hong Kong.
In 2000, she headlined the Montreal International Jazz Festival following the release of her debut album.[3] She toured Japan in 2001 for the Big Apple in Nonoichi Jazz Festival, alongside Jon Faddis, David Hazeltine, Akira Tana, and Kiyoshi Kitagawa, and returned in 2002 with James Williams, Bill Pierce, John Lockwood, and Tony Reedus.[3]
New York City performance venues have included Carnegie Hall (Neighborhood Concert Series),[6] 54 Below (a 50th birthday concert billed as a "Broadway Birthday Bash"),[13] Mezzrow Jazz Club (February 2025),[14] The Cutting Room (album launch for Playfully, June 2023),[10] and the former Metropolitan Room. A March 2026 quartet appearance at Five Spot Jazz in New York was also listed on her schedule.[15] International appearances have taken place in Belfast, Dublin, Hong Kong, Essen (Germany), and Valencia (Spain).[9]
Her working quartet as of 2025–26 features Steve Sandberg (piano), Michael O'Brien (bass), and Daniel Glass (drums).[15] Over the course of her career she has performed or recorded with musicians including Jon Faddis, Al Grey, Keith Loftis, Augie Haas, Clark Gayton, Brad Goode, Alvester Garnett, Rene Hart, and Larry Ham.[8]
Awards and recognition
Ryan has received multiple Global Music Awards, including for Windmills (Best Vocal Jazz Album), Changes (Best Vocal Jazz Album), Lullabies (Best Children's Music Jazz Album), Aakasha (Best New Age Album), Playfully (Best Female Vocalist and Best Vocal Jazz Album, 2023), and Alive (Silver Award for Best Vocal Jazz Album and Best Female Vocalist, 2024).[2]
She also received Clouzine International Music Awards for Windmills (Best Vocal Jazz Album, 2018), Changes (Best Vocal Jazz Album, 2018), and Lullabies (Best Children's Album, 2019).[2]
Critical reviews of her work have appeared in DownBeat, JAZZIZ, Jazz Journal, All About Jazz, Jazz Weekly, and the Los Angeles Times.[8][9][16]
Sheila Jordan (1928–2025), the jazz vocalist and National Endowment for the Arts Jazz Master who taught Ryan at The New School, described her as "a wonderful singer whose music will help keep the flame of jazz alive."[3]