Jazz Reviews : Cheryl Bentyne Covers Wide Range at Le Cafe

Cheryl Bentyne perched on a high stool next to the piano, tossed back her mane of red hair, sighed and launched into the verse of Billy Strayhorn’s “Day Dream.”

This laid-back mood at Le Cafe in Sherman Oaks marked the start of another of her occasional one-nighters away from her home base, home being Manhattan Transfer. More than ever before, she demonstrated her exceptional talent as a purveyor of a wide range of songs, from Gershwin and Ellington to Ivan Lins.

For well over an hour Tuesday evening, she kept an intimate group of fans entranced as she wove her way through familiar standards and newly lyricized instrumentals. In the latter category were Dore Caymmi’s “Love’s River” and Michel Legrand’s “Les Enfants Qui Pleurent.”

Her sound is pure, her phrasing indicative of a jazz sensitivity, with Corey Allen’s understated but rhythmically compelling accompaniment as her sole and totally adequate support. At times Bentyne would offer surprising evidence of her considerable range, as she did in a sudden, unpredictable upward thrust toward the conclusion of “My Funny Valentine.”

Le Cafe could have been a New York Eastside lounge in the 1960s as she applied her velvet timbre to “Spring Can Really Hang You Up The Most” and “Blue Prelude.” During the Brazilian interlude Allen switched to electric keyboard to supply soothing organ harmony. Later he had his own solo spot, bringing gentle intelligence to his treatment of “That’s All.” He co-wrote with Bentyne the brief and engaging final tune, “Good Friends.” By the end of this magic set the French had clearly extended to everyone in her small but delighted audience.