Lorez Alexandria’s Voice Is Still Something Special

Chicago-born jazz singer Lorez Alexandria isn’t as well known as Carmen McRae or Ella Fitzgerald, but her creative growth has paralleled theirs for roughly 40 years, and her performances have been appreciated by those who count, if not by a broader public.

Alexandria, who makes her first San Diego appearances since the 1960s this weekend at the Horton Grand Hotel, narrowly missed a Grammy for her album “Harlem Butterfly” in 1985. Male and female jazz vocal nominees were lumped together that year, and she was in good company: the award went to Joe Williams.

Alexandria, who lives in Los Angeles, selects an eclectic mix of music for her recordings and live performances. She is especially fond of Broadway show tunes, and she also likes to put a new shine on obscure gems from the past.

“I like going back and dressing an old tune up in new clothes, breathing new life into it,” she said. “That’s what jazz singing is all about, really.”

Some jazz singers site instrumentalists as influences, but Alexandria believes vocals call for a special approach.

“The human voice is the most unique instrument in the world, bar none,” said Alexandria, who grew up in Chicago and sang gospel music in church. “It cannot be replicated, regardless of how close they come making machines these days. The human voice is one thing we have to hold on to.

“You can phrase like a horn, but you don’t really want to sound like a horn. You end up sounding like a fog horn. My phrasing is a unique thing. I approach music the same way I do the spoken word. It’s not necessary for you to sing in meter all the time, so my timing has been described as unusual.”

Alexandria’s new album, due later this summer, includes a mix of standards and new tunes by various writers. Her older music is also enjoying a revival through the re-release on CD of some of her 15 or so earlier albums. Among the CDs is a double package combining “Lorez Alexandria the Great” and “More Lorez Alexandria the Great,” two mid-1960s recordings.

“I think those were among the best I’ve ever done, with people like Wynton Kelly, Paul Chambers, Jimmy Cobb,” said Alexandria. “Most of the material was standards. We went into a studio for two days and recorded enough for two full albums. It’s the most relaxed I’ve been, and I was with people I have the utmost respect for.”

At the Horton Grand, Alexandria takes the stage at 8:30 this Friday and Saturday nights. She will be backed by a crack trio featuring her regular pianist Gildo Mahones, plus Los Angelenos Andy Simpkins on bass and Sherman Ferguson on drums.

Like many artists, tenor saxman Benny Golson believes the process of maturing progresses from emulating the masters, to adding variations, to finding an original voice.

Golson, who opens four nights at the Jazz Note in Pacific Beach Thursday night, came into his own voice many years ago, but he believes his sound continues to evolve.

“No artist is 100% satisfied,” said Golson, 62, who apprenticed under Lionel Hampton, Johnny Hodges, Dizzy Gillespie and others in the 1950s before co-leading the Jazztet with Art Farmer during the early 1960s.

Along with the expected legendary jazz influences, including Coleman Hawkins, Golson cites some less obvious sources of inspiration: Texas tenor saxman Arnett Cobb and Oklahoma-born tenor Don Byas, both known for a big, bluesy sound. Golson has made several albums as a leader. Along with his jazz career, he has written for television and backed popular singers including Lou Rawls, Frank Sinatra and Diana Ross.

Golson also took a brief stab at writing for movies. He scored “Where It’s At,” a 1969 vehicle for ex-”Fugitive” David Janssen, but long ago gave up Hollywood ambitions.

“It’s changed. A film composer’s not what he used to be,” Golson said. “Some obscure person from some rock group can appear on the scene, and the score is by him. He doesn’t know anything about music. He hums the music, people write it down, people say it’s great. Synthesizers are taking over. The field’s not open for blacks. They cracked the door a little, but they never did open it wide.”

Golson continues to write music for television ads for companies including Pepsi, Nabisco and Chrysler, and this spring, he composed both jazz and classical music for a four-part public television series on creativity, due to air early next year. Golson appears in two of the programs, which also include interviews with James Earl Jones, Tony Randall, Steve Allen and Patty Duke.

Golson’s newest album, “The Benny Golson Quartet,” came out last November, and features a mix of standards and originals.

At the Jazz Note, he’ll be backed by San Diegans Harry Pickens on piano, Jim Plank on drums and Bob Magnusson on bass.

RIFFS: San Diego clarinetist Jimmy Noone died in March, but his New Orleans Marching and Good Time Society Band carries on under the leadership of singer Rosie Tatum. Friday night from 6 to 8, the band plays outdoors at Carlsbad’s Stagecoach Park (3420 Camino de los Coches) . . . Los Angeles jazz singer Barbara Morrison may be on the verge of a breakthrough. She is being managed by influential Hollywood types including Dionne Warwick, who will be on hand to introduce her this Friday and Saturday nights at Elario’s. Morrison opens four nights at the La Jolla club Thursday at 8:30.

CRITIC’S CHOICE: UNCONVENTIONAL JAZZ BACKGROUND

Some of the most interesting jazz comes from players with unconventional backgrounds. One such artist is Norwegian pianist Ivar Antonsen, 43, who has lived in Encinitas since 1985. Trained in classical music at a Norwegian conservatory, Antonsen formed a jazz trio that backed Jimmy Heath, Art Farmer, Charles Tolliver and other Americans when they came to Europe, and Antonsen played with Farmer on the 1987 album “The End of a Tune.” His classical training finds its way into his jazz composing and improvising. Four of his original tunes will be part of his performance tonight at 8 in the San Diego City College theater. “By listening to composers like Stravinsky and Hindemith, by studying their scores and music, they inspired me to compose contemporary classical music, but indirectly, it bounces back and gives me ideas for improvisation,” Antonsen said. Antonsen will be joined by Ken Kimerly on drums, Bill Shreeve on saxophones, Charlie Chadwick on bass and Ellen Johnson on vocals.