Bradford, Berg Prove a Dynamic Duo

There was a distinct USC presence in the J.P. Morgan Jazz Club at the Orange County Performing Arts Center Friday night. Singer Carmen Bradford, the featured artist, is an instructor of jazz vocals in the university’s music department, and pianist Shelly Berg chairs the jazz program.

That close affinity resulted in an especially compatible interaction between the two, with Bradford’s lush-sounding voice energetically supported by Berg’s vigorously dynamic piano style.

But there was another important element on the bill, one which added yet another colorful aspect to this entertaining program: the saxophone work of veteran artist Red Holloway. His brief, three-tune opening set with Berg, bassist Roberto Miranda and drummer Paul Humphrey was a marvelous way to start the evening. Firmly based in the blues, which infused and transformed even a tune such as “Love for Sale,” Holloway was both an entertaining soloist and--in his backing for Bradford--a supportive companion.

In the headline portion of the program, Bradford was both versatile and communicative, chatting comfortably with the full-house crowd, repeatedly expressing her gratitude for Holloway’s presence.

Her singing was enhanced by the rich, mature timbre of her voice. On the downside, however, she also revealed a brassy quality in some of her renderings, especially when moving into the area of pop rhythm & blues in a style reminiscent of Dinah Washington. But Bradford also offered spirited, solidly jazz-based views of tunes such as “Wonder Why” and “Singin’ in the Rain,” as well as brisk scatting on “My Shining Hour” and “You Can Depend on Me.”

Still not firmly established within a style of her own, Bradford’s primary problem was a tendency to position her interpretations from outside of her material. Technically adroit, with a fine vocal instrument, she too often used those abilities to deliver her songs in similar emotional arcs--starting at a low level before building to big, belting climaxes. She will be a more effective performer when she employs her enviable natural abilities to allow each song to reveal its own unique message.