VALLEY WEEKEND : MUSIC : SOUNDS : For Singer, Old Tunes Anything but Standard : Polly Podewell’s repertoire includes an array of pop songs from the ‘30s and ‘40s.

Duke Ellington used to say that he was a victim of his own good taste. The same could be said of Polly Podewell. Her repertoire is based around, in her humble opinion, the best songs ever written: the great pop standards of the ‘30s and ‘40s.

“I can’t understand why more people don’t sing these tunes,” said Podewell, who appears at Monteleone’s West in Tarzana on Saturday with pianist Marty Harris’ trio. “The melody and the lyrics blend so well together, and that makes something happen. To me, standards are the only kind of songs to sing.”

The singer with the rich voice and fluid delivery hasn’t always felt this way. While in high school in Chicago, Podewell was a “folky.” “I played guitar, and went to the Old Town School of Folk Music,” she said. “Pete Seeger and Big Bill Broonzy would come there, and there were hootenannies on Saturday. It was wonderful.”

A record by swing era jazz singer Lee Wiley, given to her by her brother while she was still in college, changed her tunes. “It was half Cole Porter tunes and half George and Ira Gershwin and I loved it,” said Podewell, who moved to Southern California in 1987 and now lives in Studio City.

After college, Podewell, who had become a teacher, found that singing grabbed hold of her and wouldn’t let go.

“I was living in Chicago in the mid-’70s, and I was sitting in at this club every night, and then getting up at dawn to go teach,” says Podewell. “But it was soon clear I couldn’t do both, so I decided I was going to sing.”

Podewell has some solid credits: she’s worked with the stars--Woody Herman and Benny Goodman--and some equally talented though lesser-known players--trombonist Vic Dickenson and trumpeter Doc Cheatham.

With Herman, she met Jake Hanna, the drummer who is on her new CD, “Don’t You Know I Care” on Audiophile Records. Hanna also appears with her at Monteleone’s. “He’s sensitive, playing great brushes, but he can swing. I love to swing, too, but ballads are my forte.”

* Polly Podewell appears Saturday, 8:30 p.m. to 1 a.m., at Monteleone’s West, 19337 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. No cover; without dinner, $9.95 food/drink minimum. Information: (818) 996-0662.

Requests By Reed: Singer/pianist Barbara Reed has had two careers. One has been as a jazz singer performing her own material and barely making enough to play her accompanying players. The other has been as a singer who offers recognizable titles.

“That’s when I paid me ,” she said with a laugh.

Reed will be in the latter mode when she leads her trio Saturday and Sunday as part of a new music policy at Clancy’s Crab Boiler in Glendale. Chances are you’ll know most of the songs she presents.

“I do a personal kind of jazz and blues, offering everything from ‘Blue Moon’ to ‘Something to Talk About’ by Bonnie Raitt--that one I’ll play after midnight, when people are getting nasty,” she said laughing. If people request a number, Reed said she’ll try to fulfill it.

The artist, who hails from Illinois but now resides in Long Beach, graduated from the Berklee College of Music in Boston. So music is intricately woven into the emotional fabric of her life. “Music changes my mood, gets to something in a private part of my being,” she said.

* Barbara Reed plays Saturday, 6 to 9 p.m., and Sunday, 7 to 10 p.m., at Clancy’s Crab Boiler, 219 N. Central Ave., Glendale. No cover, no minimum. Information: (818) 242-2722.

Long Distance Connection: Chuck Manning, a first-rate modern, mainstream jazz saxophonist, first heard guitarist Riner Scivally play from thousands of miles away--sort of.

“I was living in Toronto, and my brother, who lived in Pasadena, told me about this great guitarist who lived across the street,” said Manning. “So one of my motivations to move to Los Angeles was hearing about Riner, and he was one of the first people I met here.”

The two started playing together almost immediately, said Manning, and formed a lasting bond. The pair work as a duo Friday and Saturday and Oct. 12-14 at Noodle’s in Glendale.

The saxophonist, who is also a member of the Los Angeles Jazz Quartet, says that he and Scivally offer classic tunes by Thelonious Monk, Wes Montgomery and others. Manning refers to his partner as an ideal accompanist.

“Riner’s sense of swing makes everything so easy,” he said. “He holds the whole thing together, makes the two of us sound like a full group.”

* Chuck Manning and Riner Scivally play Friday and Saturday, 7:30 to 10:30 p.m., at Noodle’s, 215 N. Central Ave., Glendale. No cover, no minimum. Information: (818) 500-8783.