Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - In The Wonder Of The Night (2025)

An intimate voice-and-piano album weaving five witty originals among six classic standards. Captures Angela and pianist Ray Gallon in a late-night, romantic mood with In the Wonder of the Night.

“She has emerged as one of the top jazz singers on the scene.” (Scott Yanow, DownBeat, liner notes)

Angela Verbrugge is a Canadian jazz vocalist, songwriter, and performer whose career has been defined by resilience, originality, and devotion to the Great American Songbook. Based on Vancouver Island, she debuted in 2019 with The Night We Couldn’t Say Good Night (with Ray Gallon and Cameron Brown), praised by Toronto Music Report as “a perfect album” and listed among Scott Yanow’s top 30 jazz albums of the year. In 2020, she won the JazzTimes Readers’ Poll for Best Female Vocalist. Her 2022 follow-up, Love for Connoisseurs, spotlighted her songwriting collaborations and appeared again on Yanow’s year-end list, while Somewhere (2024, OA2 Records) showcased her restraint and lyric clarity. Across her discography, critics have praised her as “fun and quirky, hip and a hoot, wispy and romantic, and [she] cleverly swings” (JazzWeekly) and as “a major lyricist whose songs deserve to be covered by other performers” (Yanow).

On October 10, 2025, Verbrugge deepens her profile with In the Wonder of the Night on G² Records & Publishing. An intimate duo recording with pianist Ray Gallon, the album captures the spontaneity and romance of late-night music making. “I’m a night owl,” Verbrugge reflects. “Some of the most meaningful things in my life have happened at night. At night, you’re granted this space and permission to pursue your passions.” The program intertwines five of her originals with standards by Cole Porter, Irving Berlin, and others, unified by a nocturnal and lunar motif. As Yanow observes in the album’s liner notes, she has “emerged as one of the top jazz singers on the scene.”

Central to the project is Verbrugge’s longstanding collaboration with Gallon. The two first met in 2016 while working with Sheila Jordan at the Vermont Jazz Center, and Gallon has appeared on each of her albums since. Here, their rapport is distilled into the most direct setting possible — voice and piano. “Ray and I have worked together a lot since we first met in 2016 … Ray learned directly from John Lewis, Hank Jones, and Jaki Byard, and has performed with the likes of Art Farmer, Jon Hendricks, Ron Carter, Lionel Hampton … He always seems to be working, whether appearing at leading jazz venues, festivals, and a constant schedule of gigs in New York City, whether as a side musician or leading his own trio (with such musicians as Kenny Washington) for decades. His experience and ear are vast,” Verbrugge explains.

A trusted accompanist and resourceful soloist for more than four decades, Gallon brings a language rooted in bebop and blues, combining harmonic sophistication with rhythmic lift. The New York City Jazz Record has called him “a brilliant pianist deeply rooted in the tradition,” while All About Jazz praised his trio recording Grand Company as “filled with technical proficiency and emotional depth as well as a unique artistic voice.” His résumé includes work with Ron Carter, Lionel Hampton, Art Farmer, Jon Hendricks, and Sheila Jordan, among many others. Together, Verbrugge and Gallon create a dialogue that expands the expressive possibilities of the classic duo format.

Unlike many duo albums that lean heavily toward ballads and rubato interpretations, In the Wonder of the Night offers striking variety: swing, blues, standards, and Verbrugge’s originals, all unified by their nocturnal theme. The title reflects her belief that the night reveals space, intimacy, and clarity — qualities woven through every track. This late-night aesthetic, both romantic and reflective, sets the project apart and affirms her originality as both an interpreter and a songwriter.

With this release — her fourth album since 2019 — Angela Verbrugge distills her talents into a setting of maximum intimacy and expression. In the Wonder of the Night affirms her place as a vocalist of resilience, artistry, and originality, joined by a pianist whose depth and experience elevate every note. It is a recording that celebrates the mystery, romance, and clarity of the night, while continuing the story of one of today’s most distinctive jazz vocalists.

Angela Verbrugge, vocals
Ray Gallon, piano

TRACKLIST

1. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - S'Posing
2. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - Paradise Defined
3. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - I'm 99% Sure of You
4. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - I'm a Cliché
5. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - The Gift (Recado Bossa Nova)
6. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - On A Night Such as This
7. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - Moonlight Becomes You - In The Wonder Of The Night
8. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - Reaching for the Moon
9. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - It's De-Lovely
10. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - Goodbye, Little Dream Goodbye
11. Angela Verbrugge & Ray Gallon - Moonlight in Vermont