“Julie London meets Sinead O’Connor in Magdalena Reising. Somewhere between the wistful old-school glamour of her silky voice, floor-length sparkly white gown and the traditional Scottish and Polish folk songs she integrates seamlessly with her original compositions, Magdalena has found a sound that is both timeless and magical. Everyone was silently captivated from start to end. With her harp, named (she told us) Queen Gabriella, Graham Robb on double bass and Louise Durra on piano, the dreamlike quality of her voice echoed with skill and flair, and the chemistry between the three performers, as well as her convivial anecdotes, created a tingling intimacy with the audience that made them feel like old friends. I bought the CD.”

Jazz Bar, 11-12 August, tw rating 5/5

“With her sparkling personality and instant rapport with her audience, imported from Hibernia via her Polish parentage and now resident in this area Magdalena is truly multi-faceted, and her programme reflected this.

The combination of Magdalena’s harp with Steve Thompson’s double-bass and Terry Seabrook’s  keyboard under the title  Blue Cafe Jazz is intriguingly original. Certainly the solos of all three, integrated into the action, were much appreciated by an audience obviously in tune with the jazz idiom.

Magdalena’s professionalism based on intimate contact with her audience reached those at the rear of the auditorium as readily as those in the tables at the front. Beginning with a Polish melody Dzigo Roza, she demonstrated her expertise on the harp in her own compositions, changing to a set of familiar standards.  Terry and Steve were dominant in The Waiting Game, the trio closing the first half with a hit from The Sound of Music, My Favourite Things.

Openng the second half Magdelena gave the full treatment to the ballad The Nearness of You, the second chorus in jazzed-up format, leading into an up-tempo version of the  Al Jolson number Bye Bye Blackbird.  A harp solo was the wistful reminder of the Jacobite era Charlie is My Darling, the trio joining for My Love is Like a Red, Red Rose.  Terry at the keyboard sequed into Autumn Leaves, Steve joining for the second chorus, Magdalena following for The End of Love.

Magdalena bowed to the audience’s request for more with a sympathetic treatment of Edith Piaf’s signature La Vie en Rose, repeated in the English version Take me to You Heart Again.

A greatly applauded first visit by this unique trio to St Marys with hopefully more to come.”

Lark Reviews, Jazz Breakfast at St Mary in the Castle

“If you like female jazz singers backed with piano and wind instruments, then Magdalena Reising might entice you take a listen to her offering on Blue Cafe. The 10 tracks found here are all original blues/jazz songs. Magdalena is also a harpist and has released several prior CDs including Vaila's Song. When I first listened to her vocals, I did not hear an accent; I later learned Magdalena is from the U.K.

The title track, "Blue Cafe," is a slow, smoky, sultry piece. As Magdalena sings at one point "Here, there's flickers of days gone by." This song sounds like it could be from another decade. (I should probably note at this point that the creation of this CD has actually lead to the creation of the Blue Cafe Band.)

"Winter Love" is a single that was released from this CD. This song is a standard jazz piece with a more upbeat tempo than some other tracks. What starts off as a positive peace about a passionate relationship ends in a different light. Ultimately, you get the impression that as the seasons changed, so did their love. What I can't tell from the lyrics is if he left her or passed away.

One song that sounded very familiar to me was "Since You've Been Gone." I thought I had heard it before, but apparently not since it is an original. The melody is lead by guitar and is more bluesy than other tracks. The gist of the song is that the singer is actually better off since the person she is singing to has left her.

The jazz ensemble supporting Magdalena on Blue Cafe includes Christopher Page on piano, synthesizer and hammond organ, Michael Simons playing guitar, Jo Whiteman on double bass, Alex Eubard with the drums, Ian Price on the soprano and tenor saxophone, Simon Savage on tenor sax, Tim Wade playing trombone, Robert Heisman tearing up the trumpet, Tom Arnold playing accordion and congo, and Julian Tardo on electric guitar.

Magdalena is quite the talented singer/songwriter/musician. She is an accomplished harpist. While I might personally prefer the harpist side of her musical personality, I can appreciate the jazz side as well. Magdalena's vocals are perfect for the type of jazz songs she croons.”

Will Owens, Ramble Reviews