Val's  Recordings

Val's CD Love Who You Love Winner of  the Backstage Bistro Award For Outstanding Recording!

Love Who You Love is the exciting new recording from jazz and swing singer Valentine Ryder.  Val is returning to the New York City music scene after overcoming huge health obstacles.  He is joined in this endeavor by a great band featuring Barry Levitt on piano and synthesizer, Cameron Brown on Bass, Brian Grice on Drums, Chip Fabrizi percussion, and Howard LeShaw on Sax, and boy can these guys swing!  Check out the first track It Don’t Mean A Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing/ Sing, Sing Sing, this track will give you an idea of how great these guy’s swing!

The title song Love Who You Love is written by the Tony Award winning composers of RAGTIME, Stephen Flaherty & Lynn Ahrens.  Mr. Stephen Flaherty, the Broadway composer, appears as a special guest on this recording and accompanies Valentine on “Love Who You Love”!  There are also some other beautiful ballads that Val sings in his very own unique style.  “This Is Always”, “I’m Glad There Is You” and more!

Finally don’t miss out on a Val’s premier recording of an undiscovered Johnny Burke tune.  Johnny Burke won the Academy Award for Swinging on A Star, and wrote other huge hits like Pennies From Heaven and Misty!  Val has recorded a brand new Johnny Burke song, called Now That We’re Sure, even though Johnny Burke died decades ago.  Barry Levitt Val’s pianist and producer, was the musical director for the Broadway show “Swinging on A Star, The Songs of Johnny Burke”; Barry got Johnny’s widow Mary Burke Kramer, to give him a lyric Johnny Burke had never had set to music, Barry Levitt wrote the tune, and Now That We’re Sure is the result! Val’s recording of Now That We’re Sure is the first and only one! It’s a great song check it out for yourself Track #13. You can sample all the songs on Val's CD and purchase the CD at his CD Baby site  

"The song "Love Who You Love" was written for the musical A MAN OF NO IMPORTANCE, whichpremiered in the fall of 2002 at Lincoln Center Theater.  With a beautiful lyric by Lynn Ahrens, it was written to be a simple and direct statement on the nature of love.  All heart, no frills. 

I loved having the opportunity to revisit the song recently in the studio with Val.  During my early days in New York City I had flexed my cabaret muscles playing for Val in many Manhattan night spots.  After all these years it seemed like old times again: just Val and me, voice and piano in conversation. 

Val's performance of the song is simple, direct, heartfelt and wise.  And a gift for all of us."

Stephen Flaherty

Broadway Composer

Love Who You Love is available now online at CDBaby.com and Amazon.com! You can also purchase the CD directly from this website just go to the

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