Singer Hathaway shows delightful range
Lalah Hathaway made her point Thursday.
In talking about the concerts at the Manchester Craftsmen's Guild several weeks ago, she said she wanted to be seen as a singer at the end of each of these shows. She didn't want to be registered in any category.
She succeeded in doing that at the opening concert of the series.
Her series is billed as a tribute to Sarah Vaughan and Shirley Horn, but she insisted it was more of a homage to all the classic female singers of jazz.
It is that, indeed.
With chapters from the great American songbook such as "My Funny Valentine" and "Summertime," Hathaway rolled through a set that showed top marks in all aspects of voice.
Her grasp of melody and presentation of lyrics were strong, her diction was precise through the night, and her voice was colorful and varied.
The daughter of pop-star Donny Hathaway, who is best known as a rhythm-and-blues performer, offered a remarkably strong lineup of song classics.
Several years ago, she did an album with keyboardist Joe Sample that seemed to hint at this grasp of song, and these concerts prove it.
She was surrounded by a group of sidemen that gave the night another solid area. Saxophonist Roger Byam, bassist Dwayne Burno, keyboardist Kenneth Crouch and drummer Ted Sirota all frequently show up on recording projects, and they gave Hathaway a great base for her work.
They even supplied a tasty bit of humor. In the encore version of "Whatever Lola Wants," they softly chanted the title on Hathaway's second chorus.
Burno added another element: on-the-edge creativity. He kept stretching harmonics in his backup work, offering lines that were on the brink of being dissonant, but never were. In the opening to "Summertime," a look on Hathaway's face seemed to hint at fear that he was going someplace risky, but she soon relaxed.
Byam offered good support, too, adding never-intrusive figures under the singer's statements and powering into solos whenever he got the chance.
The key element, however, was Hathaway's voice. It could go from a huskiness with a hint of a rasp to a clear mid-register with no problem. It gave her version of "My Funny Valentine" an almost dark sound.
But, while "Fly Me to the Moon" was done in largely that deeper tone, it maintained a bright swing.
Amid all the familiar songs, she also did two numbers from the album with Sample, including the poetic "When Your Life Was Low."
Give the Guild credit for this one. There were a number of puzzled audience members in the foyer before the show who didn't know why Hathaway was being offered.
They do now.
Additional Information:
Lalah Hathaway
When: 7 and 9:30 p.m. today; 2:30 p.m. Sunday
Admission: $37.50
Where: Manchester Craftsmen's Guild, 1815 Metropolitan Ave., North Side.
Details: 412-322-0800
