Jazz : Sit-ins Join Craver’s Party at Chadney’s

Singer Sonny Craver was the main attraction (though, as it turned out, not the only one) on Friday, the first evening of his two-night stand at Chadney’s.

Heard some years back as the vocalist with Count Basie, Craver has certain characteristics in common with a better-known Basie alumnus, Joe Williams: He is an adept interpreter not only of the blues but also of standard pop songs and ballads.

His sound is strong, his phrasing jazz-oriented. There’s an occasional problem when, in projecting himself more powerfully than he needs to, he lets his intonation lapse. “My Funny Valentine” in particular came out a trifle sharp. But on the up tempos--”Hello Young Lovers,” “All Right, OK, You Win”--he sustained a good groove without faltering.

Sit-ins being a fairly common occurrence at Chadney’s, it was no surprise when Craver brought Barbara McNair out of the audience. What did prove surprising was her performance. Singing the verse and chorus of “I Left My Heart in San Francisco,” McNair displayed a warmth, as well as a full, rich contralto sound, superior to anything heard in her movie star days.

Also guesting at the show was Brian Sweeney, playing some down-home blues harmonica, in, appropriately, Craver’s “Down Home Blues.”

Before the Craver set, his back-up trio--Bobby Pierce on keyboards, Johnny Kirkwood on drums and the outstanding bassist Stan Gilbert--offered attractive mainstream renderings of “Candy” (coupled with “Perdido,” to which it bears a strong harmonic resemblance) and “A Child Is Born,” with Pierce bringing out all the inherent beauty in the Thad Jones perennial.