" Carrrie's winderful low range, total command and interpretaiton of lyrics and an amazingly quick ability to run beautiful variations on a theme are gifts that have been possessed by only one or two artist's that I can thin of: certainly Ella Fitzgerald and Sarah Vaughan...Jon Hagland, Back Stage."

" Ms. Jackson is one of the most sought after vocalists is the metropolitan area, her resume looks like Who's Who of Jazz....................Extraordinary!" She electrifies her audiences with her dynamic music and takes the audience by storm with her charm and temperament..................Jerome Wilson, Cadence Jazz Magazine. "

Jazz Review: Saturday, March 19, 2005
SINGER PUTS OWN STAMP ON GREAT POPULAR TUNES
By: Zan Stewart, Star-Ledger Staff
The Star Ledger

"Carrie Jackson is a staunch advocate of the Great American Popular Songbook; a timeless wealth of material, and presents it with spirit and feeling, her renditions have a personal, not derivative, ring"

"Jackson delivers these in just the right volume and vigor to reach all listeners; Jackson digs into her comely lower ranges, mixed with her own jazz smarts, and sings in a no-nonsense manner, and makes the number breathe"

Carrie Jackson - A life long resident of Newark, Jackson is a rich-voiced blues, ballads and standards singer who knows how to put a song across. She is a regular at rooms throughout New Jersey. Her CDs include "The Nearness of You" and "If I Had My Way" (Mo-Jazz LLC.).

Jazz artist belts out tunes on local stages by Ruth Ross

What do you do when you're a widely popular local musical performer who wants to record a CD but lacks connections to the recording establishments? You roll up your sleeves, form your own entertainment company and do it yourself. That's just what Carrie Jackson, noted jazz interpreter, did in 1996 finally coming out with "The Nearness of You," a CD of jazz standards with a new twist, including two original songs by jazz greats Duke Anderson and Hubert Gresham.

Discovering or rediscovering jazz in Newark is easy; it just takes a little legwork. "Compared to the old days, when there were a number of jazz clubs, there's not as much," says Carrie Jackson, a local jazz singer and vice-president of the Jazz Institute of New Jersey. "But there are a number of places to perform around here. Newark is coming back to jazz.

As a singer, Carrie Jackson knows how frustrating it can be to keep jazz alive at a time when heavy metal and rap dominate the industry. That's what's driven her to create her own record company -- Mo-Jazz LLC -- and related enterprise that books more than 50 acts a year for Newark-based clubs and beyond. Simply put, Jackson is Newark's jazz maven -- high-energy all the way despite her subdued singing style.
On many levels, tonight is a historic one for Jackson and Newark jazz lovers. Following the release of her second compact disc, "Carrie Jackson: If I Had My Way," she'll perform for the first time at the Bridge Club on Washington Street in the same upstairs room that was a fixture of the jazz scene in the 1960s.

There are intimate jazz clubs and then there are spots where the performers greet each audience member by name as they file in. At the Renaissance Cafe in Newark last Friday, jazz singer Carrie Jackson welcomed nearly everyone who strolled in and took a seat, calling out "Hey girl," "Hazel's in the house" and "How ya doin'?" between tunes. Most of the crowd was lounging at the communal table along the wall. Fingers snapped, heads bobbed and listeners hummed along with Jackson's honey-smoothed takes on material by Billie Holiday, George Gershwin and other jazz-age giants. Before the second set, there was a surprise birthday party for Jackson, complete with cake and a bebop rendition of the birthday song.
"It's such a warm feeling when you come in here," said Joyce Farr, of Montclair, who described herself age-wise as "a senior." You feel at home and you feel part of it. Carrie makes you feel so welcome, you want to come back again and again.