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Los Angeles Jazz Scene
JAZZ AROUND TOWN - Jan. 2010
A great concert of some of Los Angeles' greats:
THE L.A. JAZZ INSTITUTE MARATHON
THREE SINGERS
During the past few years, Jackie Ryan has had a lot of well deserved publicity. A talented and well-rounded jazz
singer, she has a beautiful voice, is able to handle a wide range of material, and is witty on stage. As part of the Jazz
Bakery's “movable feast” (as Ruth Price's club continues its search for the perfect venue), Ms. Ryan was featured at
Largo at the Coronet, singing such numbers as “To The Ends Of The Earth,” “Welcome To The Club,” “Doozy” (which
includes her vocalese lyrics), some Jobim tunes, Oscar Brown Jr's “Opportunity Please Knock,” “Destination Moon,”
“Dat Dere.”and “When I Grow Too Old To Dream.” The only unfortunate part is that she did not feature the great
pianist Otmaro Ruiz (who was joined by bassist Carlitos del Puerto and drummer Dean Koba) very much.
When she first appeared on the scene, Jane Monheit had a great deal of potential. Years later, she still has the
potential but has been a consistent disappointment, particularly for one with so great a voice. At Catalina's she sang
while accompanied by just pianist Michael Kanan, and showed that she had very little to offer. While she scatted
excessively on just about every song (including two long choruses on “Stardust”), her choice of notes was dull as were
the sounds she created. When she sang straight, she was fine although much more of a cabaret singer than a jazz
vocalist. She went over the top during a wordless chorus on “Bewitched, Bothered & Bewildered,” gave “Moon River”
much more emotional intensity than it deserved, and her version of “Over The Rainbow” showed that it should have
been retired ten years ago. Perhaps she should be sticking to Broadway show tunes at this point, but I still like to
believe that Jane Monheit can someday be an excellent jazz singer, but time is starting to run out.
In contrast, there is no question that Gina Eckstine is a potentially great jazz singer. At Jax, she was both entertaining
and very musical, singing standards and working successfully to win over the noisy crowd. With fine support from
pianist Ric Mandell and a bassist whose name I unfortunately missed, she put plenty of life into such tunes as “I Was A
Little Too Lonely And You Were A Little Too Late,” “The Days Of Wine And Roses,” “Nice Work If You Can Get It” and
one of her father Billy Eckstine's big hits, “Everything I Have Is Yours.” Catch her when you can.
LANNY MORGAN 6
One of the great saxophonists, altoist Lanny Morgan has been part of the jazz scene in Los Angeles for over 30 years.
While he has been a valuable sideman in many settings, including with the Bill Holman Orchestra and Supersax, his
occasional projects as a leader are a consistent joy. Recently he recorded the CD 6 with his sextet, a group also
including trumpeter Bob Summers, tenor-saxophonist Doug Webb, pianist Tom Ranier, bassist Chuck Berghofer and
drummer Steve Schaeffer. The same band was featured on a Sunday night at the legendary Lighthouse Cafe.
Much more than a jam session unit, Morgan's group features arranged sections behind some of the soloists, logical
frameworks, and fresh material. At the Lighthouse in addition to “Just Friends,” they performed the jazz waltz “Little
Folks,” “Polecat” (which has similarities to “Good Bait”), Chuck Mangione's obscure uptempo cooker “Between Races,”
Thad Jones' “Bird Song,” and the hard-driving “213 Ocean Front.” Each of the musicians had their share of solo
space and plenty of fireworks occurred. Lanny Morgan, who was showcased on “Body And Soul,” showed that when it
comes to bebop and straight ahead jazz, few are in his league. He deserves to be celebrated as one of Los Angeles'
most valuable jazz treasures.