Pop and Jazz Reviews : Spirited Maiden Voyage at Moonlight Tango

Ann Patterson had a unique problem Monday night at the Moonlight Tango Cafe. Her all-female band, Maiden Voyage, making one of its rare appearances, was missing nearly half a dozen of its regulars, who had other playing commitments.

That was good news, on the one hand. It meant that more employment opportunities are opening up for women musicians. The bad news was that Patterson had to add a number of “male auxiliary” members for the program.

Fortunately, Maiden Voyage, despite its intermittent work schedule, has begun to achieve a real sound of its own. The substitute players, regardless of gender, had no negative impact on the band’s smoothly integrated saxophone section blend or its aggressive, biting, full-ensemble drive.

Among the soloists, Stacy Rowles was crisp and articulate on “Just Friends,” and Betty O’Hara’s virtuosic “God Bless the Child” (in which she sang and played trombone and trumpet in her own arrangement) was as remarkable as ever. Patterson, perhaps bothered by her personnel problems, was a bit less effective than usual in her soloing, although her lead alto work provided the heart and soul of the saxophone section sound.

The most unexpected solo voice was that of tenor and soprano saxophonist Sharon Hirata, who is on the verge of developing a genuinely original style. Both she and Maiden Voyage--a group whose most attractive qualities are its spirit, enthusiasm and sheer joy in the making of music--deserve the chance to be heard more often.