JAZZ REVIEW : Shirley Horn: Getting Cozy in a Concert Hall

Shirley Horn is a master of intimacy. Anyone who’s seen her trio perform at a smaller venue--say, one of her infrequent appearances at the Cinegrill in Hollywood or the Vine St. Bar & Grill in Los Angeles--knows that the pianist-vocalist has a knack for getting cozy with an audience, as well as the material; a talent that can seemingly pull you out of your seat and land you in her lap.

The question facing her Sunday was whether that close and personal style could work in a 3,000-seat concert hall, namely the Orange County Performing Arts Center.

The answer, revealed in an afternoon concert, is . . . almost.

It’s not that Horn wasn’t her usual, enchanting self. She drew the audience in with her expressive storytelling vocals and just-so keyboard work. In fact, Horn’s voice carried more clarity and character than we’ve heard from her during the last year.

What was different about this concert-hall appearance was that a certain amount of interplay among the trio, particularly bassist Charles Ables’ contribution, was lost due to smeared, sometimes booming bottom-end sound.

That’s a real pity, since the trio, together for almost 10 years now, seems to have developed a second sense about responding to each other. That’s not always an easy task, given Horn’s sometimes-quirky delivery and penchant sometimes to suspend rhythms entirely.

Still, those seeing the trio for the first time may not have missed the often-exciting ride that the threesome takes seeking cohesion.

Ables, an exceptionally sensitive electric bassist, provided solid underpinnings, and his melodic accompaniment came into view when he moved up the neck of his instrument. Drummer Steve Williams, a model of restraint and power, was clearly audible adding fills, echoes and talkin’-to-you solos spots while keeping the tempos together despite Horn’s sometimes-unpredictable rhythmic variations.

Horn’s slow, considered vocal style may lose some listeners. Like cognac, her pacing is somewhat of an acquired taste.

Ballads sometimes found her falling far behind the beat, waiting for the last possible moment to reveal a phrase or even a single word. This technique gets listeners to hang on every syllable and adds weight to a lyric. There are no throwaway lines in the material Horn chooses.

The singer followed a weighty, considered piano introduction to the Johnny Burke-Jimmy Van Heusen number “But Beautiful” with a pause nearly long enough for a cigarette break before she sounded the first phrase.

She worked various amounts of breath into her voice and added slight dynamic variations, all of which created strong, melancholy airs. She contrasted this mood with an uptempo version of Jack Lawrence’s “Foolin’ Myself” that featured Williams almost-harmonic display across his drum kit. Her most lively performance came during a swinging “Beautiful Friendship,” which also featured her most animated piano solo.

Horn mixed it up with a bossa nova-paced “How Am I To Know?” and an upbeat “Just in Time” but the prevailing mood was one of cool consideration. Her unaccompanied piano introduction to “Wild Is the Wind” shadowed her stunningly revealing vocal that featured pained, gravelly tones as well as moments of sweet clarity.

Despite the aloofness of her stage manner--other than introducing her band, she had nothing to say but “thank you”--and despite the sound problems, Horn managed to approximate the same kind of intimacy she casts over much tinier rooms--no small feat indeed.

The opening set from trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis’ sextet went along way toward creating an up-close experience.

The program of originals, standards and compositions from his contemporaries (composer- trumpeter Terance Blanchard) proved that this third-ranking musician (by age) from the younger generation of the musical Marsalis family will also make a strong contribution to the future of jazz.

Marsalis outclassed the other two members of his horn section--tenor saxophonist Mark Turner and alto saxophonist Mark Gross--with lyrically long lines and impressive displays of breath control.

His tone was sweet and caramel-colored on “Tenderly”--he said the arrangement was inspired by Horn--and he displayed strong, occasionally blustery chops on his own “Nicodemus.”

Though most of the material reflected his desire to expand the territory pioneered by the Miles Davis quintet of the mid-’60s, he also took a look further back into the tradition with a snappy arrangement of Duke Ellington’s “Black and Tan Fantasy.”

Pianist Victor Atkins added rich harmonic support in accompaniment, packing his solos with chordal passages that sometimes gave way to dissonance. Drummer Martin Butler added polyrhythms and strong punctuation to the mix while bassist Gregory Williams seemed most comfortable sticking to basic time-keeping chores.

Marsalis closed his hourlong set with his “The Crucifixion,” a swirling blend of bowed bass, piano rolls and cymbal plays that built on atmospheric brass lines.

This kind of ambitious presentation holds promise for the future of the young composer. His strong trombone work has already arrived.