JAZZ REVIEW : PINKY WINTERS’ TASTE FOR IMPECCABLE SONGS

Entertainment for Tuesday’s “not for members only” meeting of the Los Angeles Jazz Society, held at the headquarters of the Musicians’ Union Local 47, was provided by singer Pinky Winters, with pianist Lou Levy and his sidemen, Nick Martinis on drums and Herb Mickman on bass.

Winters is one of those taken-for-granted artists who, while enjoying the respect of her peers, works only occasionally. True, she is not spectacularly gifted, nor does she aim at any strong jazz identification, but given her impeccable choice of material and Levy’s always reliable backing (he is also now working for Frank Sinatra), the results have a flavor that can scarcely fail to please the jazz-trained ear.

Most of her songs are products of the days when Tin Pan Alley was a gold-filled lane: “Will You Still Be Mine,” “It Might As Well Be Spring” and even “I Got Rhythm,” which Winters validated by including the little known verse and by juxtaposing it with an old Irving Berlin number called “He Ain’t Got Rhythm.”

On a more contemporary note, her reading of the Johnny Mandel-Dave Frishberg song “You Are There” turned it into a poignant tone poem. Winters would have made a marvelous band singer had she not come up in an era when that was already an extinct breed.