Part of the Band

Although Jim and Martha Hession are booked at Jax in Glendale under their own names, they prefer to be known simply as members of the band they call the American Jazz Quintet. The name has both democratic and musical implications.

“Jim and I feel that every one of the five members is as important as anybody else,” said Martha Hession, who possesses a vibrant, pure-toned mezzo-soprano voice.

As to the musical aspects of the name, Jim Hession, a robust, swing-oriented pianist, said, “Martha and I have an affinity for the great American standards, plus jazz and blues tunes, the kind of great music that has come out of this country in the last 80 or 90 years.”

The Hessions, who live in La Mesa near San Diego, appear with the quintet tonight at Jax, starting an indefinite Thursday-night engagement. The band played Jax regularly from 1984 to 1996, and has played there intermittently since. The other artists in the current quintet are saxophonist-flutist-singer Sylvester LeBlanc, bassist Tim Emmons and drummer Donald Dean, who collectively have worked with the likes of Bobby “Blue” Bland and Les McCann. Naturally, the leaders had good words for their colleagues.

“Sylvester has that kind of magical energy, a player who can blend as well as solo,” said Martha.

“Plus he’s a great blues singer,” said Jim, who called Emmons “a marvelous musician who has great ears and that dig-in quality that really drives the band.”

Dean, said Martha, “Listens to everything, doesn’t miss anything. Our band has a penchant for spontaneous tempo changes, key changes and inflections, and Donald’s so attuned to what is going on that he’s there almost before you’ve realized you’ve gone in another direction.”

The repertoire delivered by the Hessions and company is richly diverse, and includes anything from Jelly Roll Morton and Thelonious Monk to instrumentals by Tadd Dameron and Miles Davis.

The Hessions, who have done TV specials for PBS and HBO, were each asked what they felt were their strongest suits. The singer said she loves to do ballads, because “I like finding that depth of color, that blending of melody and harmony where I’m treating the voice as an instrument and not as a voice per se.” Jim--who can often be heard at Disneyland’s New Orleans Square, where he’s billed as “The New Orleans Jazz Piano Man”--cited his ability to mix technique and style, and his enjoyment of surprises. “I like to take chances,” he said.

* Jim and Martha Hession perform with the American Jazz Quintet tonight, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m., at Jax, 339 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. No cover, no minimum. (818) 500-1604.

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Singing and Swinging: Though Dave Mackay is perhaps best-known for his nimble fingers on a keyboard, the Syracuse, N.Y., native, who lives in Sherman Oaks, has been singing-- delightfully-- for ages.

“I started about 40 years ago,” said Mackay, who appears Monday and July 13 (and the first two Monday nights of the month henceforth), at Ca’ del Sole. In the ‘60s and ‘70s came albums with his late wife, Vicki Hamilton, and the group Baron, Simpkins and Mackay--known for its enchanting “See You Later.” More recently, Mackay sang Jobim’s “The Gentle Rain” on his duo album with flutist Lori Bell, “Take Me to Brazil.”

At Ca’ Del Sole, Mackay gets a rare opportunity to work with additional instrumentation. “That way I can shape the vocal, and orchestrate the background to go with it,” he said.

And although he has no bass player to aid him, Mackay has found a way to make it seem as though he does.

“Great bass players have taught me a lot about what to do with my left hand,” said the musician, whose latest album, with Bell and guitarist Ron Satterfield, is “Interplay.”

“So when I do bass lines, I think of my left hand as a bass player.”

* John Mackay, Monday, Ca’ del Sole, 4100 N. Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood; no cover, no minimum; (818) 985-4669.