Sexy, elegant, and undeniably funky, Ragan's ultra hip take on contemporary jazz is irresistible. Her vibe meshes perfectly with sound of The Groove Boutique!"
-Rafe Gomez, CD101.9 FM
Flutist, vocalist, and songwriter, Ragan Whiteside is taking the Contemporary Jazz world by storm. With her unique style and soulful vibe, this "triple threat" is bringing the flute back into mainstream focus. After winning the 2006 Capital Jazz Challenge, Ragan returned to the 2007 Capital Jazz Festival with a new critically acclaimed album, Class Axe, produced by Pianist/Arranger Bob Baldwin and Engineer/Arranger Extraordinaire Dennis Johnson.
Ragan began her musical studies at the age of 5, after her parents discovered she had perfect pitch. A piano, a drum set, and a violin later, Ragan focused her energies on playing the flute and studying classical music.
As she got older, Ragan discovered another love: Songwriting and Arranging. After winning numerous competitions in both performance and music composition throughout the United States, Ragan attended the Cleveland Institute of Music and the Harid Conservatory, where she earned her Bachelor of Music - Performance degree. Her due diligence paid off; she penned more than ½ of her debut disc, Class Axe.
Upon her return to New York in pursuit of her musical dream, Ragan switched gears from Classical to Jazz, Funk, and R&B. This buzzworthy artist has performed and/or recorded with various musicians throughout the US, including Chuck Loeb, Marion Meadows, and Grammy Award winning opera singer Esther Hinds, and the previously mentioned Baldwin.
Ragan has also written songs on three albums: Baldwin's "The American Spirit" (Shanachie), the multi-faceted collection "Brown Sugar" (Shanachie) and later this summer, "New Urban Jazz" (215 Records). Ragan's solo album will be featured in the soundtrack for the upcoming independent film, "Unforgiven Sins".
In addition to her musical skills, the multi-talented Whiteside is also a web-designer. Check out her self-designed site, RaganWhiteside.com. This Mt. Vernon, NY native is also honing her audio engineering skills, which would then make her a quadruple threat!!
With so many talents, one never knows how you'll hear from... or see this extraordinary Artist in the future. Consider yourself warned…
Great page, Great persona, Great sound, Great aroma, Great Lady named Miss Ragan, thanks for being you global soul, and welcome, it's an honor to have found you...yours in friendship Robert Foster
I am glad to see that you are working on your second album. I am waiting with extreme anticipation. Have you decided on a release date? One more thing.....can I play a chord, just one chord on your second album? LOL!!! naw but for real, can I? LOL!!, I'm serious..if you say yes, if you say no, then I am just joking..LOL!!
HI RAGAN, YOU WERE FANTASTIC / BOB BALDWIN AT THE KEY LAST NIGHT. BRENDA ASKED ME ABOUT THE NIGHT & OTHER THAN BOB I TOLD HER YOU TORE IT UP& RECEIVED SEVERAL OVATIONS. IT'LL BE ON HER COMMENT PAGE. STAY IN TOUCH. PEACE & LOVE, RAY
HI RAGAN, MET YOU AT THE KEY IN NEWARK WHEN YOU WORKED / BOB BALDWIN A FEW WEEKS AGO. LOVE YOUR MUSIC .BRENDA, WHO I REALLY RESPECT, LOVES YOUR WORK ALSO. MY 10 YEAR GRANDDAUGHTER, EMILY JUST TOOK UP THE FLUTE & I SHOWED HER YOUR SITE. HAPPY HALLOWEEN & HAVE A GREAT WEEK-END. I WAS BOB'S GUEST THAT NIGHT & I'M HOPING WE'LL DO SOME WRITING TOGETHER. PEACE, RAY
