Classic Stylings From Ernie Andrews

Ernie Andrews is one of a kind--a jazz original whose utterly idiosyncratic singing style has never fully received the attention it warrants. So it was especially pleasurable Saturday night to hear him at Cal State L.A.’s Luckman Fine Arts Complex with the Los Angeles Symphonic Camerata.

At 74, Andrews comes from a generation of artists who were raised with the notion that performing with a string orchestra or a symphony somehow provided ultimate certification of their art. Happily, that notion, although not completely gone, has lost much of its impact. Still, given its importance to Andrews, it was touching to hear him--halfway through the evening--turn to conductor David Buck and the members of the Camerata and earnestly thank them for providing what he described as a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity.

From a listener’s point of view, he made the most of it, ranging across a selection of material reaching far beyond the blues songs that have been his most familiar musical staple. In each case, however, he quickly molded the tune to his own jaunty style, striding the stage in magisterial fashion, strutting in his own imitable manner, waving his arms for dramatic emphasis. The results were always intriguing: a virtual rewrite of James Taylor’s “Fire and Rain,” an oddly upbeat rendering of “It Must Have Been Something I Dreamed Last Night,” a different slant on Kander and Webb’s “Maybe This Time” and a decidedly non-Sinatra version of “My Way.”

Andrews wisely devoted a substantial portion of the evening to his trademark blues style, offering his own whimsical impressions of Jimmy Rushing, Ivy Anderson and Al Hibbler, among others, in a hard-swinging romp through “Going to Kansas City.” And he was superbly supported by the rhythm trio of pianist Art Hillary, bassist Richard Simon, drummer Frank Wilson and the always compelling tenor saxophone of Herman Riley, with occasional solo contributions from trombonist/violinist Dan Weinstein and violinists Lesa Terry and Yvette Devereaux.