Taking Note of Harold Arlen

“I don’t think there was any songwriter closer to jazz,” Orange County singer-bassist Jack Prather said Monday night before he and his Great American Music Co. proved their point with “An Evening of Harold Arlen.”

The spirited, classy affair, a salute to the tunesmith who penned favorites such as “Blues in the Night,” “That Old Black Magic” and “Over the Rainbow,” also spotlighted vocalists Stephanie Haynes and Dewey Erney, pianist Dick Shreve and drummer Jimmy Ford. It was held on the comfy, relaxed outdoor patio at De Mario’s Cafe in Monarch Beach.

Typical of the tribute shows that Prather, Haynes and Erney have hosted at De Mario’s over many years, the Arlen evening mixed great songs, solid jazz improvising--both in the form of solos and liberties taken by the singers--and informative, humorous biographical narration.

Prather likes to do these shows chronologically. So, after a zesty rhythm team run-through of “It’s Only a Paper Moon” and an Erney-Haynes look at “My Shining Hour,” the program officially began with “Get Happy,” Arlen’s first hit, concocted as a vamp for dancers when he was a rehearsal pianist for the 1929 Broadway show “Great Day!”

Showing how an Arlen song could be shaped to fit a variety of jazz moods, this arrangement started with Erney--a deceptively swinging tenor-baritone whose fog of a voice can suddenly shout-- delivering the tune’s verse over a robust Afro-Cuban beat. Then the rhythm subtly shifted to 4/4 swing for the wears-well theme, which he dug into with gusto.

A thumping Ford solo led to the climax: a big Erney note embellished with a tight vibrato.

Haynes showed her stuff in the subsequent “Between the Devil and the Deep Blue Sea,” the tricky arrangement swaying between slow waltz meter and more upbeat straight-ahead swing.

Here, the ace vocalist’s improvisatory way with lyrics stood out; she has a seemingly innate manner of stretching out some words and compressing others. Also effective were some of Haynes’ low tones, which all but throbbed.

The remainder of the show stayed on an equally high level. Haynes was evocative on “Ill Wind” and “Over the Rainbow,” varying her attack from delicate to dynamic, but her showstopper was the little-known but captivating “When the Sun Comes Out.”

Starting a bit too stridently, Haynes soon settled into a groove and gradually built this tear-jerker, ending with a note that faded its way to silence.

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Erney scored with “Stormy Weather,” which was rife with blues, as was “Blues in the Night,” where he managed to comically insert his own name into the lyric. “Hear that lonesome whistle calling . . . Dewey . . . my mama done told me.”

Together, Erney and Haynes offered several tunes, including “Come Rain or Come Shine.” Prather made points both with his ringing solos and an occasional pleasingly scratchy-voiced effort, such as “If I Only Had a Brain.”

Shreve was the tireless accompanist, delivering the just-so fills and adding plenty of ear-grabbing solo segments. Ford kept the rhythm fires burning.

The crowd was enthusiastic in its response to the singers and the musicians, and many in the audience could be seen mouthing the words to songs.

It was disappointing, however, to see only one or two people under age 40. So many in their 20s and 30s are discovering swing, and one would hope they’d also investigate the riches of popular song from the same era.

* The Great American Music Co. encores “An Evening of Harold Arlen” on Monday at 7:30 p.m. at De Mario’s Cafe, 17 Monarch Bay Plaza, Monarch Beach. $10 cover, $10 food/drink minimum. (949) 240-9436.