Jazz Reviews : Sheila Jordan Excels at Catalina Bar & Grill

Calling Sheila Jordan a singer is--to use a proverbial comparison--a bit like calling “Great Expectations” a book. In her opening-night performance at Catalina’s Bar & Grill Thursday night, Jordan’s program of jazz vocal improvisations pulsed and throbbed with the same kind of layered emotional density that can transform a “book” into a great novel.

Concentrating, for the most part, on standards such as “Falling in Love,” “The Very Thought of You,” “My Shining Hour” and “We’ll Be Together Again,” Jordan took risks with her melodic line that few singers would hazard. Her opening choruses, for example, explored melody and harmony as though they were virtually new territory. The result was a series of paraphrases that cast dramatically inventive and always fascinating perspectives on pieces that most singers treat as everyday repertoire. There were a few problems, however. In the last few years, Jordan’s move from a part-time to a full-time singing career has brought strength and focus to her music. But it has also generated a somewhat harsher tone and a more aggressive quality in her scat singing.

The best jazz soloists--Coltrane, Davis, and Jordan’s beloved Bird come to mind--brought a sense of dynamic contrast, of changing hues and colors, to their most abstract flights of fancy. Jordan’s improvisations--excellent as they were--would benefit immeasurably from a similarly varied tonal palette.

Her set closer was a spontaneous blues with references that were clearly, and humorously, thought up on the spot. It was a delightful ending to a program that was a rich and rewarding example of world-class, contemporary jazz singing.

Jordan was accompanied by her longtime associate, bassist Harvie Swartz, and the ever-dependable pianist Alan Broadbent. The interaction between the two musicians, despite limited rehearsal opportunities, was superb--a fact recognized by Jordan when she featured them in a two-number sidebar set.

Jordan continues at Catalina’s through tonight.