JAZZ REVIEWS : FIVE-STAR, BLUESY BILL AT MEMORY LANE

Marla’s Memory Lane was the scene Friday and Saturday of such a powerful five-star bill that it was hard to figure out how such an expensive show could be assembled. Not surprisingly, it turned out to be a recording session for a Fantasy album. The strong blues orientation was supplied by Red Holloway, Jack McDuff, Shuggie Otis, Eddie (Cleanhead) Vinson and Etta James.

Top honors went to Vinson, the singer and saxophonist whose very lack of effort works for him. He stands motionless, eyes closed, his voice a desperate croak, telling the same story he has repeated throughout his career, preaching the blues, then addressing the flock with his praying alto. The lines about his baldness get laughs from listeners whose parents may have heard them.

Although Vinson drew a powerful reaction, it was surpassed by the reception accorded to Etta James. Unlike Vinson, she used every device to keep the crowd amused, throwing her body around and injecting melodrama along with some genuine blues, its impact sometimes lessened by self-indulgent overkill. She brought back Vinson for a duet on “Teach Me Tonight,” then removed her shoes and sang “Only Women Bleed.”

Holloway’s opening set on alto and tenor sax was predictably vigorous and adroit; his maturity was well served by organist McDuff, by bassist Richard Reid (because Reid supplied the bottom lines, McDuff didn’t use the organ’s bass pedals), and by drummer Paul Humphrey. This potent team was fortified by Otis, a former child prodigy, now 32 and still one of the young masters of blues guitar somewhat in the B.B. King tradition. His solo number moved into the spirit of the deep South as far as he could go without hitting the Gulf of Mexico.