Chris McNulty

The Song That Sings Your Here Challenge Records****

Australian-born New Yorker Chris McNulty is a classy singer in the classic style, emoting from the heart and giving the lyrics their full meaning, but more than capable of mixing it with the band and improvising with the best of them. And she has assembled an equally classy, hard-swinging group that includes bassist Ugonna Okegwo, drummer Marcus Gilmore, Russian saxophonist Igor Butman and, most particularly, her husband, guitarist Paul Bollenbeck. So what might otherwise have been a leisurely stroll through well-worn standards, including How Little We Know, On the Street Where You Live and Lonely Woman, becomes a timeless slice of pure jazz that will confound the skeptics who think that swing is only fit for the museum. chrismcnulty.com