JAZZ REVIEWS : Capers Shows Off Skill, Personality

Blame the weather for the dismal turnout Tuesday night at the Cinegrill on pianist-vocalist Valerie Capers’ opening night. But the rain, and lack of a crowd, didn’t dampen Capers’ enthusiasm at the keyboard.

Like many classically trained pianists (Capers was the first blind graduate of New York’s Juilliard School of Music), Capers has technique to spare. But expression is never overshadowed by facility in her play. Much like Shirley Horn, with whom she compares favorably, Capers brings a lot of personality to her work.

Working with bassist John Robinson and drummer Earl Williams, Capers showed herself to be as equally sensitive as Horn, but in a decidedly more aggressive fashion. Left and right hands both played important roles in her sound, and she proved expert at developing tension and building dynamic statements in her solos.

Pulling tunes from her recent release, “Come on Home” on Columbia’s Legendary Pioneers of Jazz series, the pianist displayed engaging improvisational ways on ballads, bop and Latin-paced numbers. Spare, simple lines, sometimes abbreviated in unexpected places, were followed by involved, double-time statements. Quiet, single-note phrases gave way to rich harmonic passages that turned expertly back to their founding theme.

Capers is also a dynamic vocalist. “Embraceable You” was sung with strength despite the ballad pacing. An up-tempo “I’m Beginning to See the Light” featured a reserved, tasteful style as she moved gracefully through the lyric. Again much like Horn, Capers has a knack for framing her voice with just the right piano background.

Robinson was equally muscular, developing an almost percussive accompaniment for a heavily rhythmic version of Kenny Dorham’s “Blue Bossa” and soloing with an aggressive melodiousness during Capers’ “Odyssey.” Williams responded in kind to both bass and piano, adding polyrhythmic touches to his tight, straight-ahead timekeeping.

Though she may not be as well-known as such contemporaries as Kenny Barron and Cedar Walton, Capers is certainly their equal as an artist. Those who love decisive piano playing with plenty of personality should catch Capers’ show before she disappears back to New York.

* Valerie Capers’ trio plays the Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood; Friday-Saturday, 8 and 10:30 p.m. $12 cover. Saxophonist Alan Givens will join the trio. (213) 466-7000.