Jim Ferguson

What's remarkable about Ferguson isn't that he simultaneously sings and plays bass, but that he does both so well. ... Ferguson is equally accomplished as a straightahead jazz bassist and a smooth, supple tenor with a style reminiscent of, but far more expressive than, Chet Baker's youthful cool-school vocalizing. ...The most affecting contemporary jazz-oriented male vocalist, Ferguson can't quite explain how or why he is able to invest so much vulnerability in his music. ... (Jazz Times, April 2001 - Joel E.Siegel) Leading a quartet, featuring saxophonist Chris Potter, pianist Stefan Karlsson, and drummer Jim White, Ferguson's intimate, deeply felt singing combined with eloquent instrumental solos yields one the year's most satisfying in jazz vocal albums. (NPR Jazz Riffs CD Review - Joel E. Siegel) Jim Ferguson's Deep Summer Music should please those who complain that jazz doesn't have enough male singers anymore. Much to his credit, the Nashville resident is a clone of no one. ... he is a recognizable singer who can be sweetly introspective one minute and bluesy the next. ...While other jazz singers are trying to impress you with how fast they can scat their way through John Coltrane's "Giant Steps," Ferguson makes feeling his top priority on this soulful, if derivative, release. (All Music Guide EXPERT REVIEW - Alex Henderson) Many famous singers...have recorded "The Night We Called It a Day," but the best version on record is the most recent one, performed by the singer-bassist Jim Ferguson. A light, low-lying tenor with a slight but unmistakable Southern accent and a flawless command of the falsetto-like "head voice," ...his heart is in jazz and standard song; perhaps the finest male balladeer of his generation, he sings with unaffected, irresistible sincerity. (Commentary Magazine - March 2002 - Terry Teachout)