Jazz Reviews : Multitalented Hale Triumphs at Westwood Marquis

Corky Hale has enjoyed so many careers--as harpist, pianist, vocalist, former dress shop owner, and most recently TV producer--that the public has never had a clear image of her. More’s the pity, since her level of artistry is too high to be overlooked. This was evident Tuesday when she opened a three-week run at the Westwood Marquis Hotel (closing March 4).

Perhaps because Hale’s debut marked the launching of a new entertainment policy in the room, there were opening-night problems with sound and lighting; moreover, the audience at times was so noisy that for Hale it was a triumph of mind over mutter.

The harp being arguably the most difficult instrument in all of music, Hale deserves double credit, not simply for her flawless technique but for an exquisite harmonic sense. This was evident in the several Jerome Kern songs with which she opened: “Yesterdays” and “Long Ago and Far Away,” both on harp, and “I’m Old Fashioned,” which she sang at the piano. Later came her Valentine’s Day version of the Rodgers & Hart “My Funny Valentine,” which works sublimely as a harp solo.

Herb Mickman, her bassist, also served a dual purpose, switching to piano to accompany Hale’s singing on “Who Cares?” and “Nobody Else But Me.” Inexplicably, given the chance to do these numbers as stand-up vocals, she remained seated. She has a pleasing, musician-doubling-as-singer sound, most effectively used when the melody was one she enjoyed tackling, such as “So Many Stars.”

Essentially, though, Hale is an instrumentalist with a keen natural sense of chordal variations. Applied to the piano, this virtue is delightful; on the harp it is unique.