“Longtime Santa Cruz jazz vocalist Gail Dobson brings a power and grace to melody and lyric that far surpasses the ingratiating musical phraseology of most pop singers. She can spur her voice into a robust instrument capable of countering a hard-charging big band, or rein it in to an intimate, virginal hush. Whatever the setting, Dobson easily wins audiences with her abundance of musical smarts and sophistication…” ..February 13, 2003 Rob Pratt    Metro Santa Cruz

“Gail’s amber lows and wispy highs, wrapping songs in smoky warmth….”
Phil Collins...Santa Cruz Sentinel

“Gail Dobson’s unique, innovative musical style deserves a listen”. Brian Harvey-jazz journalist, broadcaster, London, England


“More than almost any other Bay Area jazz performer, Gail Dobson exemplifies the spontaneous spirit of jazz: the deep joy of making music in the moment, surrounded both in the band and in the audience by family and friends. On stage, she sings with a dark alto that commands attention not for its fearsome bombast but for its engaging style and warm phrasing- done with seemingly effortless grace.
Good Times, Rob Pratt  March 4,’99


Smith Dobson on Piano, especially on Detour Ahead, continues his love affair with Gail and her singing. Strong duo work. Judging from what I hear and what I read in the packaging I would really love to meet Gail Dobson and, of course, her extended musical family. Seems to me a perfect evening would be sitting in an intimate setting listening to these friends, family and buds create their magic. The next best thing is listening to this CD, “Now & Then”. The Jazz Connection June ’99 Phil McCarthy

Santa Cruz vocalist Gail Dobson has been one of the San Francisco Bay Area’s leading performers and educators for the past decade. She’s also known for her musical family, which includes vocalist/daughter Sasha Dobson, pianist/husband Smith Dobson, and percussionist/son Smith Dobson, Jr. The singer featured her entire “Dobson Family Band” at the 1991 Monterey Jazz Festival, and her new CD, Now & Then (Open Path Music), showcases both husband and son on the opening “East of the Sun.” Other intriguing selections include the husband and wife duet “Detour Ahead” (featured on disc) and the Leon Russell composition “A Song for You”, with the sultry altoist soaring in a live setting from 1972.
Jazziz Magazine On Disc  February 2, 2001

 I have always loved the Peggy Lee/Bill Schluger penned song “I Love Being Here With You”. Gail places her very own stamp on this finger snapping, let your hair down song. There are nine other songs on this gem that will please one and all. The very first notes heard on this wonderful CD are an unprecendented scat which doesn’t ever let up “East of the Sun”. The evergreen by Jay Livingston and Ray Evans “Never Let Me Go” sounds very new and fresh here, especially with the added cello solo. The style of the never forgotten Irene Kral comes to mind often. I warn you though, you just might be caught in this singer’s phenomenal web - I was.   ? In Tune Magazine  London England  November 2000 Dan Singer ?New York

“ Now and Then” is an excellent showcase for Gail Dobson’s warmth and smooth jazz vocal stylings. Truly a family affair, the project includes husband Smith Dobson on piano and son Smith Jr. on vibes. Her choice of material is wide, from the jazz standard “East of the Sun”, to Leon Russell’s, “A Song for You”, to the Spanish “Estate.” Dobson brings a sensitive vibrato to the more melancholy material. She can let notes hang in the air in a way that is haunting, to say the least. Tim Jackson’s distinctive flute and 10-year-old Bennett Jackson’s vocals are a fine complement to Dobson’s strong scat singing. Her vocal range, from a throaty contralto to a light trill, is rich. It’s no wonder Gail Dobson holds a special place in the Bay Area Jazz Community. August 19,’99 Kim Monari Jeannette jazz critic
 

Gail Dobson is a vocalist and music educator who has been active in the San Francisco Bay area for many years. She is perhaps not as well known as her husband, pianist and arranger Smith Dobson, who ran the Jazz Series at The Garden City Restaurant in San Jose, a gig that lasted 20 years for which Dobson booked and performed with many fine jazz players such as as Mundell Lowe, Stan Getz, Herb Ellis, Barney Kessel, Harold Land, Red Holloway, Toot Thielmans, Tal Farlow, Sonny Stitt, McCoy Tyner, Sheila Jordan, Joe Henderson, Bobby Hutcherson, Terry Gibbs and other artists of similar stature. Dobson often performed with his wife, vocalist Gail, daughter Sasha, and son, Smith Jr., as the Dobson Family Band. Unfortunately, Smith Dobson passed away unexpectedly after an auto accident (see: www.metroactive.com/papers/metro/04.26.01/dobson-0117.html) Now Gail has issued this album, partially, at least, as a tribute to her late husband.  The way Gail has chosen to remember her late husband is to use some of his writing on the recording; he was responsible for the arrangements on tracks 3, 5 & 8 and for the chord changes used on tracks 4, 5 & 6. Of these, The Dolphin is perhaps the most successful, while Gail's decision to use several of her vocal students as a back up group on Over The Rainbow is a nice touch. As accompanists, Dobson has gathered together a who's who of Bay Area musicians, including Smith Jr., and they acquit themselves well, with nice solos from Koga, Strom and Sorkin. And it is refreshing to hear a clarinetist--Ben Goldberg of The New Klezmer Trio-- utilized on this kind of material, particularly on The Dolphin, I Hear A Rhapsody,and Blue In Green.

Gail Dobson is clearly still a force in the Bay Area jazz scene, even after her husband's passing. She is particularly proud of her work as an educator. More power to her

Gail Dobson recorded a brilliant duet version of Detour Ahead, with husband Smith on piano, that makes the walls of your soul vibrate sympathetically.
Chris Byars, New York Arranger, Saxophonist