Jazz Reviews : The Uncompromising Stephanie Haynes

Serendipity can play strange tricks. During a recent visit to the Dana Point Resort, a 6-month-old luxury hotel on the coast just south of Laguna Niguel, the nightclub area known as Burton’s turned out to be the temporary residence of a splendid singer, Stephanie Haynes.

An Orange County favorite for many years, Haynes makes such an immediate impression with her elegant gown and personal charm that one finds oneself hoping for the best. The best was promptly forthcoming as she eased into a well-selected set of standards.

Her intonation is perfect, her timbre jazz-edged, her phrasing clearly that of a sensitive musician. The more familiar pop items alternated with such Brazilian delights as “Sometime Ago” and “The Gentle Rain.”

Haynes’ emotional highs were reached in a seldom-heard ballad, “The Masquerade Is Over,” taken at a hauntingly slow pace. Here and elsewhere, potent support was offered by a trio under the direction of the pianist Daniel May. With him are his bassist brother, Benjamin, who just turned 21 and shows remarkable promise, along with the versatile Paul Kreibich on drums. Daniel May works here solo or with his brother nightly except Sunday at the hotel’s nearby Lantern Bay Lounge.

Haynes’ return date is uncertain, but she will be at the Money Tree in Toluca Lake on Friday and at Alfonse’s May 10. At a time when uncompromising jazz vocalists are in short supply, she is a natural for wider exposure.