Paula West at the Oak Room: Warm Jazz Vocals

Her voice is the sound of warm apple cider; swirling with enticing hints of cinnamon and nutmeg, and tempered by the smooth and comforting richness of vanilla bean.  So is it any wonder the Algonquin Hotel has been bringing Paula West to its legendary Oak Room whenever the nip of October's air chills Gotham's midtown bus fumes? 

A jazz artist who doesn't belt despite a full-bodied contralto, and who doesn't riff despite an alluring playfulness, West is a story-teller who gives equal weight to the words and the music, making for lyrical clarity and emotional depth.  There is a simple, gentle friendliness to her presentation while both singing and chatting up the audience in that most intimate of cabaret rooms. 

Her eclectic song list mixes the expected and the surprising.  Rodgers and Hart are well represented with a feisty "Everything I've Got Belongs To You" and an extremely satisfied (and satisfying) "Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered."   The jaunty "Man Wanted" is matched with a beautifully openhearted "Why Was I Born?"  Her "It Ain't Necessarily So", delivered with an arch sense of rhythmic humor, is quite perfect. 

The unexpected songs from her set include selections from Hank Williams ("Honky Tonkin'"), Bob Dylan ("Like A Rolling Stone") and Oscar Hammerstein II & Sigmund Romberg ("Softly, As In A Morning Sunrise) as well as traditional classics "Loch Lomond" and "Danny Boy".  Each of these is infuse with a jazz feel that enhances the material without removing its original style.  More often than not, the results are startlingly right, especially with the textured piano playing of George Mesterhazy, who leads a quartet including Doug Weiss (bass), Carl Allen (drums) and Ed Cherry (guitar).  Each musician is well featured in the evening's numerous solos. 

Paula West's splendid and engaging set plays the Oak Room through November 11^th.