Reviews
Songs of My Dreams
The Jazz Page, February 13, 2026
Reviewed by D. Glenn Daniels
On Songs of My Dreams, vocalist and songwriter James Judson steps into the big-band-and-strings tradition with a set that treats new material like freshly minted standards, leaning on classic jazz phrasing and a romantic, late-night glow rather than modern vocal flash. Guided by co-producer/arranger Tim Sonnefeld on Hammond B3 organ, Fender Rhodes, and guitar, the lush frames come alive around Judson’s warm delivery, with Gary Matsumoto on piano, Max Haymer on piano, Mike Gurrola on bass, Dan Lutz on bass, Charles Glenn on bass, Charles Ruggiero on drums, and Leddie Garcia on percussion. The larger orchestra colors the storytelling nicely without feeling overwhelming. The production features Michael Campagna, Aaron Janik, Dan Fornero, Dave Richards, and Mike Cordone on trumpets; Bob Sheppard, Anton Sushev, Bob Reynolds, Doug Webb, and Jason Fabus on saxophones; Erik Hughes, Ryan Dragon, Joshua Brown, and Todd Eames on trombones; Eliza James, Olga Ivanenko, Laurann Woods, and Lily Honigberg on violins; Jennifer Wu and Troy Everett on violas; and Jean-Paul Barjon and Judy Kang on cellos—while Judson’s book nods to the lineage through composers like Johnny Mandel and Paul Francis Webster and the standard-setting team of Gerald Marks and Seymour Simons, placing his originals in easy conversation with the language that shaped them. This is a sweeping, orchestra-kissed statement that boldy establishes itself as a classic vocal jazz album.
Songs of My Dreams
Urban Buzz Magazine, February 10, 2026
Reviewed by Nigeria Anderson
Songs Of My Dreams, the debut jazz album by James Judson, is more than a collection of songs; it’s the fulfillment of a dream the vocalist and composer never knew he carried. Music has been woven into Judson’s life since childhood. He began singing at four years old and spent his youth performing in Country Rock bands, playing drums and guitar with an ease that hinted at natural talent. Yet, despite his lifelong love of music, he never imagined himself as a Jazz artist. That revelation didn’t arrive until last year, when a spark of inspiration in the studio unleashed a flood of long-suppressed creativity. What makes Judson’s emergence even more remarkable is the nearly 30-year hiatus he took from music. After stepping away to raise a family and build a thriving multi-state construction business, he assumed that chapter of his life had closed. But passion has a way of resurfacing. In 2025, he returned to the studio to record his first Jazz project, a Christmas EP titled It’s Christmas Eve Tonight, featuring a 17-piece jazz band and an eight-piece string section. The experience reignited something powerful, leading him straight into the creation of his most recent project Songs Of My Dreams. For this debut, Judson collaborated with top Los Angeles musicians, including vocalist Laura Cole, who appears on All of Me. He penned 11 of the album’s 13 tracks allowing his creativity to flow. The result is an impressive, heartfelt introduction to an artist whose life journey has finally circled back to his true passion.
James Judson’s musical roots run deep. In high school, he performed covers of Chicago and Earth, Wind & Fire, later building a steady side career playing local venues, weddings, and state fairs. Songwriting soon followed. A promising music career seemed inevitable until life demanded a different path. With six children to raise and a business to grow, Judson made the difficult decision to set his guitar aside. Though it was the right choice at the time, the music never left him; it simply waited dormant. Years later, while recording a new project titled Americana, Judson performed his original song Walking a Sidewalk acapella. Everyone was blown away by his Jazz feel. From that moment, Country music stepped aside, and Jazz took the lead. Judson’s warm, intimate baritone now sits comfortably in the jazz landscape, carrying the depth of a life fully lived and a return to his first love creating music. His story is for everyone who has or had a dream to do something great. The message is it is never too late to fulfill your purpose. Urban Buzz Magazine proudly welcomes our latest KeyPlayer, Mr. James Judson. You can connect with him on IG @jamesjudsonmusic or website www.jamesjudson.com.
Songs of My Dreams
parcbench.live, February 9, 2026
Reviewed by Greg Victor
James Judson’s debut album comes across the creative output of a seasoned pro. He clearly loves to make music, and he has impeccable taste in choosing his material.
The album features a variety of tracks—all of them impressive—from the playful opener “Is There A Chance,” to the atmospheric “The Shadow of Your Smile,” to the stylish “Stars Past the Milky Way,” to the free flowing “All Of Me,” to dreamlike “My Imagination,” to the endearing “Can’t Put a Price on Love,” to the tender “Kiss Me,” to the energizing “The Wonderful Night Before,” to the engaging “Eternal Love,” to the cozy “Holding On,” to the elegant “Candlelight or Roses,” to the catchy “Walking a Sidewalk,” to the touching closer “On and On.”
This is one of those albums that if it were purchased on vinyl, you might as well buy two—you’re bound to wear out the grooves of the first quickly.
Choosing a video to include with this review was not an easy task. It was, however, quite enjoyable, as it allowed me to hear each of the tracks once more. I decided on the following, which perfectly conveys the warmth and dreamy quality of the album. Enjoy.
Songs of My Dreams
The JW Vibe, February 5, 2026
Reviewed by Jonathan Widran
Fully embracing and embodying the title of his full-length debut Songs of My Dreams, James Judson reveals himself not only as a graceful, deeply soulful balladeer and charming crooner with an impeccable sense of swing, but also as an effortlessly talented vocalist who never gave up on his lifelong dream to sing - and literally gains inspiration from his subconscious dreams.
After pursuing music into his 30s, he reached a crossroads to raise his large family (six kids) and build a successful construction business. Just before the pandemic, he came to L.A. to help with a construction project his daughter was working on and she introduced him to a local singer, songwriter and rapper named Don Taicher. His new friend convinced him to buy a guitar and suddenly, those long set aside musical dreams roared back – ultimately culminating in this magnificent album of 11 compelling originals and two lushly arranged, ultra-charming standards (“The Shadow of Your Smile,” “All of Me,” the latter a sublime duet with Laura Cole) featuring contributions from 30 (!) of L.A.’s top jazz cats.
It’s testament to his long dormant but now vibrantly resurrected songwriting talent that he dares to debut with something more than a set of classics he could sing in his sleep. It’s as if he wants us to understand the fullness of his heart and the life that led him to grace us with this now. In his thoughtful liner notes, he explains his surreal songwriting process: “My dreams usually begin normally, then I begin to hear music. It gets louder until I realize the music is from the dream. This is usually when I wake up with a song, sometimes fully formed, sometimes just a melody and a few key lyrics.” He felt he “had visits” from Frank Sinatra and Marvin Gaye for some, prompting him to wonder, “Where do we go in the subconscious of our dreams?”
Even skeptics about such things will delight in the results, which find Judson journeying from the hip, brass-fired opening swinger “Is There A Chance” and the breezy eternity minded nighttime romance “Stars Past the Milky Way” through the sweet smoky tenderness of “My Imagination” (featuring the dreamy – pun intended - sax of Doug Webb) and the string enhanced “Candlelight or Roses” and the cheerfully strutting “Walking a Sidewalk.”
It’s one of those transcendent albums that makes you wonder where an artist has been all your life, and whose songs are so magical that you may ask yourself if you somehow missed a few of these songs on albums by Sinatra or Tony Bennett.
Songs of My Dreams
Musical Memoirs Blog, February 1, 2026
Reviewed by Dee Dee McNeil
republished in Making a Scene!, February 6, 2026
Singer, composer, musician, James Judson is one of those people who dreams the music, wakes up with a start, then quickly writes the melody down. This debut album is full of dreamy love songs.
“I wake up with a song, sometimes fully formed, sometimes just a melody and a few key lyrics. I’ll be the first to admit these songs aren’t written in the traditional sense, they just show up,” Judson explains in his liner notes.
With the guidance of Grammy-winning producer, Tim Sonnefeld, these songs that once evolved in the ethereal space between dreams and reality come alive on this project.
Judson has written eleven out of the thirteen songs for this album, with two ‘covers.’ He opens with his swinging original “Is There A Chance” propelled by an entire orchestra.
His arranger, producer, Sonnefeld slows the groove down to an orchestrated blues on “The Shadow of Your Smile” where Judson’s warm, charming tone caresses each note with care. The third Track that he calls “Stars Past the Milky Way” sounds like it’s based on the popular song “On the Street Where You Live.” Another song called “Walking a Sidewalk” sounds very much like “I’ve Got You Under My Skin.” Often, jazz musicians take liberties, writing new songs over old familiar chord changes. All of Judson’s melodies are clearly his own.
On the tune “All of Me,” the drummer, Charles Ruggiero, lays down a terrific groove, using mallets. Judson has paired up with vocalist Laura Cole to sing this familiar standard. Pleasantly, they add the opening verse that is rarely heard.
James Judson grew up in Boulder, Colorado, part of a large coal mining family. Music touched him early in life. By thirteen, he was working in a rock band as their drummer and lead vocalist. In high school, he joined a Top forty band that played all the ‘Earth, Wind & Fire’ and ‘Chicago’ hits of the day. They performed at weddings, state fairs and local venues. But, once married, with a growing family, including six children, Judson reached a crossroad. He chose to put his efforts into a growing construction business, rather than to pursue his fickle music career. With “Songs of My Dreams,” he returns to his passion and deep love for music.
This is an album that reminds me of the Duke Ellington and Count Basie days. Judson has a soothing, smooth baritone voice. The lyrics to his original songs are well written. His melodies roll like sugar off his tongue, enticing us with his big band orchestration and infectious tone. This is an impressive debut recording from an artist who heard these songs in his dreams. How wonderful that with fortitude and determination he has brought them to life on this debut album.
Songs of My Dreams
Jazz Views, January 29, 2026
Reviewed by Tim Larsen
James Judson may be a new name to most jazz listeners. After releasing a Christmas EP last year, Songs of My Dreams arrives as his first full-length jazz album, landing with a confidence that suggests anything but a tentative debut. Drawing on the language of the Great American Songbook while relying mostly on his own writing, the album feels like an extension of that tradition. Comparisons to Sinatra will come up—there’s a shared ease in the phrasing and an occasional breathiness—but Judson’s voice carries more density and less projection, occupying a warmer, more intimate register.
Judson’s relationship with music started early. He was already singing at five and fully expected it to be his life. Growing up in Boulder, Colorado, he played wherever he could and wrote songs before stepping away to build a construction business and raise a family. A few years ago, encouraged by a close friend, he returned to music. He co-produced the album with Grammy winner Tim Sonnefeld and surrounded himself with an orchestra that sounds every bit as refined and responsive as those on the classic Sinatra records.
Judson’s compositions often sound like long-lost standards. On “Is There a Chance,” the orchestra wraps around him gracefully, with piano and drums chiming in lightly. His phrasing is the real hook—relaxed, cool, and always moving forward.
The album’s two standards work in contrast. “The Shadow of Your Smile” leans into mood, with a somber opening and details that slowly come into focus—a muted trumpet, piano lines that follow Judson’s emotional pull, a vocal that stretches time and uses vibrato sparingly. “All of Me” lightens the mood, with Laura Cole’s higher register set against Judson’s darker tone, their phrasing playing off each other until the voices come together at the end.
Judson shows his lighter side on “Stars Past the Milky Way,” where the playful, almost childlike lyrics bring a sense of charm. Lines about dancing on the moon and drifting through the galaxy sound sincere because Judson sells them with a grin in his voice.
Romance sits at the center of the album, especially on “My Imagination” and “Kiss Me.” On “My Imagination,” Judson takes his time with the lyric, letting the words land just right, while a late-night sax drifts in beside him. “Kiss Me” pulls in even closer, resting on gentle piano and strings as Judson sculpts each word until it feels just right.
When the album needs a lift, Judson delivers it, backed by an orchestra brimming with character. “Can’t Put a Price on Love” swings easily, with different voices in the orchestra stepping out and then slipping back into the sound. “The Wonderful Night Before” stays upbeat and bright, Judson singing in a higher range as the band stays right with him. “Eternal Love” might be the best example of his rhythmic control—slowing a phrase to a near standstill, then snapping right back into the groove without ever losing the thread.
Songs of My Dreams makes a strong case for James Judson as both a terrific singer and a songwriter who knows this music. After decades away, he returns sounding completely at ease, backed by an orchestra that plays with personality and real authority. Judson’s songs feel right at home alongside the Great American Songbook, yet they are unmistakably his own.
It’s Christmas Eve Tonight
Jazz Scan, December 14, 2025
Reviewed by Derric Bang
James Judson’s four-track EP, It’s Christmas Eve Tonight, finds him backed by a 17-piece jazz band and nine-piece string section; the result is a firecracker. Judson is a playful, cheery and enthusiastic singer, very much in the Sinatra mold, and he must be immensely popular during live performances.
I’d normally raise a skeptical eyebrow over the blend of jazz band and string section, but engineer Tim Sonnefeld also handled the string arrangements and (with Justin Flynn) horn arrangements, and the result never loses its all-important swing.
The set gets off to a roaring start with “White Christmas,” backing Judson’s lyrics with well-placed horn fanfares. He pauses for a terrific instrumental interlude by the entire band, which segues to Aaron Janik’s sweet trumpet solo. Judson picks up the tune again, and everybody concludes the song with a flourish.
“I’ll Be Home for Christmas” is a smooth, mid-tempo 4/4 ballad, with more emphasis on strings. Judson again yields the stage for a solo, this time by tenor saxman Bob Reynolds. This arrangement feels a lot like Sinatra, and the tempo slows for Judson’s heartfelt finale.
The EP’s title track is an original: a sweetly romantic “story song” focused on the joy of sharing Christmas traditions with a loved one. Unison horn “pops” echo the initial lyrics, then introduce an instrumental bridge that yields to another tenor sax solo by Reynolds. Judson resumes the lyrical narrative, which briefly slows for what seems like a wistful finale … until the tune bursts back into life for its finale.
Judson closes with an initially soft, contemplative reading of “Silent Night,” until bassist Mike Gurrola guides the tune into gentle, mid-tempo swing; Gary Matsumoto’s piano and Reynolds’ tenor sax comp soothingly behind Judson’s vocal, building to a lush finale.
My only complaint: Why just an EP, James? I want an entire album!
It's Christmas Eve Tonight
O’s Place Jazz Magazine, Winter 2025, Issue 31.4
Reviewed by Oscar Groomes
James Judson began singing at an early age in Colorado where he achieved notable success before pivoting to focus on his family and a construction career in his mid 30s. Three decades later he’s back to music. Judson has two albums in the works. It’s Christmas Eve Tonight is available now, a four song, seasonal special including the original title track. He’s a gentle crooner and there are no signs of rust!