Winkler Sings His Own Lyrics, Beyond Moon and June

Mark Winkler belongs to what appears to be a diminishing musical fraternity: male jazz singers. It’s hard to figure why the list of male jazz singers is so much shorter than the lineup of females. But Winkler is one of the few, working his trade for more than a decade, often around the arena of contemporary jazz, supplementing his performing activities with lyric writing.

On Monday night, he debuted songs from a new album, “Easy the Hard Way,” before an enthusiastic, packed-house crowd at Catalina Bar & Grill. Winkler likes to note that his lyrics “are not just about moon and June,” and he affirmed that fact in numbers such as “Trio,” a kind of sardonically whimsical take on a jazz ensemble, and “Ellen’s Song,” a sweetly thoughtful tribute to a late friend composed to the music of Wayne Shorter’s “Edda.”

Other pieces were equally fascinating: the spirited “Like Jazz”; the offbeat album title track, inspired by the proposed name of late actor Vince Edwards’ unfinished autobiography; and the darkly moody “Another Night.”

Working with the solid backup ensemble of Jon Mayer on piano, Kevin Axt on bass, Bob Leatherbarrow on drums and Steve Wilkerson on tenor saxophone, with guitarist Anthony Wilson present for a pair of numbers, Winkler delivered his songs with lyrical intensity and a strong undercurrent of swing.

His only flaw was the fact that his storytelling skills as a singer did not always match the illumination of his lyrics. Nor was his effectiveness aided by a tendency to deliver most of his phrases in similar fashion--with a kind of verbally explosive beginning, trailing off into too-long held notes at the close.

But, in a genre that needs all the help it can get, Winkler’s combination of writing and performing is a welcome addition.