Review: Marlene VerPlanck Returns To Jazz at Kitano With Charm and Seasoned Skill

Marlene VerPlanck always makes one feel as the gathering's in her own living room. On the night after Christmas, with expert colleagues Jon Weber (piano) and Jay Leonhart (bass), the vocalist offers a mix of classic and new material at the intimate Jazz at Kitano. VerPlanck, who released her first album in 1955 when she was just 21 and sang with the Tommy Dorsey band, continues to put her own subtle stamp on phrasing without disrespecting melody or lyric. She swings without stress and communicates without acting.

The title song of her new CD, I Give Up, I'm In Love, arrives like a raised eyebrow and a shrug. VerPlanck breezily rides Leonhart's hip-swinging bass and Weber's taste-of-New- Orleans piano. Her unfussy vocal is genial. Octave dips and climbs seem organic. Next comes a rhythmic, foot tapping "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," replete with a bit of Leonhart's always delightful scatting. Despite insouciant tempo, one believes she believes the sentiments.

"All My Tomorrows" sways, leaving a trail of hush. No one knows better than I, she sighs, eyebrows raised. Piano seems like dappled sunlight. A lovely coupling of "It Started All Over Again," during which she appears tickled, and a low key "The Second Time Around" follow. Piano and bass employ short phrases while VerPlanck extends hers creating melodic bridges. In "Save Your Love For Me" she sounds like a muted horn. "Fool" emerges with five syllables.

"Don't Worry 'Bout Me": Don't worry 'bout me/I'll get along/Just you forget about me/Be happy my love . . . is sweetly melancholy. VerPlanck sings as if breathing, vibrato tails ending each phrase. Unlike many singers, the lady seems to pick up and put down vibrato at will. Weber's (left) turn is dancey. Leonhart's bowed bass and scat are like hearing interior dialogue, all the thoughts unexpressed in words.

Leonhart is then the sole accompanist for VerPlanck in a pristine version of "The One I Love." The carefree, zippy interpretation, in complete opposition to lyrics is, nonetheless, completely engaging. Fred Astaire would've loved the eloquent bassist. At this point Weber (left) plays an unscheduled solo. "Look Out Lion I've Got You," by Frenchman Louis Mazatier, is swift, forceful, dense, and deft stride, which though contemporary, sounds like a classic composition.

"What Are You Doing New Year's Eve?" is smooth, bright, and gently swung, as if VerPlanck already knows the answer. We close, perhaps in a nod to the surprising weather, with an exhilarating "It Might As Well Be Spring" conjuring barefoot whirling in a field of tall grass and wildflowers. Weber's playing is like a hummingbird in flight--aloft without visible batting of uber-fast wings.

Marlene VerPlanck--always a pleasure.

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