JAZZ REVIEW : Reaves-Phillips in a Blues Groove

Sandra Reaves-Phillips, the stage and screen actress who appeared in the original Paris production of the musical “Black and Blue,” arrived in town for her first local solo engagement as a blues, jazz and gospel singer, opening Tuesday at the Cinegrill.

From the first jumping blues, “Take Me as I Am,” it was clear that the crowd was ready to do just that. A large woman with a manner that indicated a determination to please, Reaves-Phillips, who’s appearing through Sunday, devoted most of time to the songs of the 1920s and ‘30s, with titles like “One Hour Mama” and “My Daddy Rocks Me” that were considered quite risque in their day.

Everything was put across with a 1,000-kilowatt projection, backed by a solid rhythm quartet under the direction of drummer Herschel Dwellingham. The powerful sound tended to stay at one dynamic level. Only on “Measure the Valleys,” which she sang in the Broadway show “Raisin,” was there an attempt at restraint and subtlety.

A tribute to “Great Ladies of Blues and Jazz” was more critical than complimentary, featuring a boisterous Ma Rainey, a drunken Bessie Smith, a temperamental Ethel Waters, and, in a tasteless bit, a coke-snorting Billie Holiday.

Reaves-Phillips seemed more convincing and comfortable when she returned to the blues grooves of “Snatch and Rabbit” and “Trouble in Mind.”

Her concluding “Lean on Me,” from a movie in which she sang this title song, found her in total command. A standing ovation was led by Della Reese, Linda Hopkins and other fellow vocalists.