Album Review : Is It Live, or Is It Packaging? It’s ‘Spaghettini’

**, Betty Bryant, Bobby Haynes, Dee Dee McNeil,”Live at Spaghettini”, L.A.P. Records

The title of this collection is slightly misleading. The 13 selections from six performers were recorded at Los Angeles’ Studiomasters, not live at the Seal Beach restaurant.

Still, “Live at Spaghettini” offers a good overview of the types of music one can hear six nights a week in the Spaghettini lounge. And, despite an uneven program, it paints an accurate picture of the good-time, party-flavored spirit of the performances there.

Vocals take center stage on the disc, including selections from Christine Day, Dee Dee McNeil, blues man Dale Spaulding and cabaret performer Betty Bryant.

The best vocal moments come from Bryant, whose intimate ways with a song transfer well to the album. Bryant knows how to draw her audience in with a style that’s almost conversational. Providing her own piano accompaniment, she imparts class and character to almost every note, and her composing skills, evidenced here on “Put a Lid on It,” are clever and knowingly humorous.

Day’s two selections are contemporary, and her voice--clear, clean and enthusiastic--works particularly well on the lazy-paced, backbeat based “Tenderly,” though her accompaniment often seems to lag.

McNeil, a weekly fixture at the nightspot, is in fine voice, scatting her way through an upbeat arrangement of Duke Ellington’s “Take the ‘A’ Train,” which finds her messing with the familiar lyric in a way that makes the tune jump with life. “Lover Man” is more a showcase for her voice, delivered in tones that recall Dinah Washington, while her stylistic touches color the piece with glimpses of her strong personality.

Vocalist Ralph Dudley, who also plays bass, makes the disc’s most soulful statement on “Try a Little Tenderness,” growling the final lines in a way that’s at once inspiring and menacing. Though his delivery is a bit uneven here, it’s apparent that he’s the type of performer who generates a lot of excitement when seen live.

Bluesman Spaulding’s three cuts are appropriately loose and playful. His harmonica stirs up Louis Jordan’s “Ain’t Nobody Here but Us Chickens,” though his vocal, while competent, lacks spark. Spaulding redeems himself on “Knock Me a Kiss” as he sings with more expression and narrative punch. His band, featuring pianist Bill Steck and guitarist Ken Emerson, brings a rough-and-tumble barrelhouse feel to the tunes.

The three instrumentals come from bassist Haynes, who’s responsible for booking much of the music at the club. Haynes maintains the groove-minded direction of the program, setting up rhythmic hooks for his soloists and providing catchy, in-the-pocket support. Saxophonist Clarence Webb is strong on “Jazz Waltz,” and pianist Lanney Hartley decorates “Speak Low” (incorrectly credited to Haynes in the notes) with smart, sophisticated lines.

Not represented are the occasional big names that work the club, performers from distinguished Berlin-based pianist Walter Norris to rap-godfather Gil Scott-Heron. “Live at Spaghettini,” despite the occasional tired moment, gives a good sampling of the room’s entertainment and would make swell backing for at-home party time as well.

But next time, why not just record at the club?

Albums are rated on a scale of * (poor) to **** (excellent), with *** denoting a solid recommendation.