JAZZ REVIEWS : ANN WELDON SHINES IN WEST L.A. CLUB

While Ann Weldon was fulfilling TV and movie obligations as an actress, the screen’s gain became music’s loss. Happily, she is now back flexing her vocal muscles, handling the Sunday evening sessions at a restaurant called At Marty’s in West Los Angeles, where a supper club entertainment policy was recently initiated, somewhat in the tradition of New York East Side rooms.

It was evident from the first moment that the hiatus has done no damage to Weldon’s rare blend of musical and histrionic values. Tall, bright-eyed and striking in a silver gown, she bears a close enough resemblance to her vocalist sister Maxine (who was in the room) to be her fraternal twin.

Both in her repertoire and in the accompanying group, the show maintained a welcome balance between jazz and contemporary sounds. There was not a single tired standard song in the hourlong set. Several numbers were chosen for their storytelling value. “I’m a Woman” by Leiber and Stoller had the audience laughing and applauding at Weldon’s machine gun delivery of the pre-feminist lyrics. Jackson Browne’s “Running on Empty” and James Taylor’s “Don’t Let Me Be Lonely Tonight” had her listeners spellbound, as did the June Christy specialty, “Something Cool.”

One or two numbers were unfamiliar, notably Myra Waters’ “Sun Will Shine in the Summertime,” preceded by Weldon’s touching explanation of the song’s origin. Among the older pieces, the early Aretha Franklin “Think” and the Duke Ellington-John Latouche “Tomorrow Mountain” illustrated her dynamic and dramatic skill.

During a Marvin Gaye medley three young female backup singers, all cousins of Weldon, offered discreet rhythmic punctuations while remaining almost hidden in an alcove near the bandstand.

In their instrumental support, pianist Andy Howe and guitarist Jim Bruno, with Tony Lewis on drums and Dave McDaniel on bass, provided exactly the right mix of jazz and light rock sounds.