Back In Style -- Vocalists Are Giving A New Spin To Old Standards, And Drawing A New Audience

Beth Winter has sung at some of New York's best known jazz clubs, but on a recent Saturday night the Seattle resident and Cornish College vocal instructor was serenading about 30 attentive listeners at the New York Deli in Madison Valley, a seemingly unlikely venue to hear Winter's brand of sophisticated song.

While the audience nursed sherry and port around cafe tables covered in white linen and candlelight, Winter purred out cool renditions of such numbers as "Sophisticated Lady," by Duke Ellington,"I'm Getting Sentimental Over You," Tommy Dorsey's theme song, and "Every Time We Say Goodbye," by Cole Porter.

Meanwhile, at La Rive Gauche bistro in the Denny Regrade, Andy Shaw, a veteran of the Seattle jazz scene, was dishing out his seductively stylish versions of songs written by some of the same composers. Anyone with the energy to drop in on a late set at the Patti Summers cabaret at Pike Place Market likely would have found Summers bending some of those same numbers in her intimate style.

In musical parlance, such songs and others written by Ellington, Porter, Johnny Mercer, George Gershwin, Hoagy Carmichael and their brethren are "standards" - the musical equivalent of great works of literature, enduring though rarely best sellers. Many are songs that were at the top of the pop charts several decades ago before becoming hopelessly passe to a generation that cut its musical teeth on the Beatles and Grateful Dead.

But standards are back in style. Most have hummable tunes, romantic lyrics and can be bent and shaped into an infinite variety of styles depending on who's doing the singing. One hallmark of a good jazz singer is the ability to take a standard and sing it like no one else.

Big-name singers, some of whom have only recently repackaged themselves as torch singers, crooners and jazzy interpreters of once-popular music, have also given standards a boost. Natalie Cole, the former rhythm-and-blues-singing daughter of Nat King Cole, has sung her father's songs on "Unforgettable" (Elektra), the album that was last year's surprise big seller. Introspective pop singer Rickie Lee Jones - who is scheduled to play the 5th Avenue Theatre Feb. 1 - has resurfaced as a chanteuse on her latest album, "Pop Pop" (Geffen), which includes such chestnuts as "Spring Can Really Get You Down." And Harry Connick Jr., the twentysomething swing crooner, is one of the hottest names in popular music thanks in part to his Frank Sinatra sound-alike singing.

Due in measure to such mainstream success, some jazz singers - keepers of the flame when it comes to vocal standards - say they are starting to notice new audiences for old songs.

"A while ago, on a Friday or Saturday, a crowd of young people in their 20s came into my place," said Summers, who rejects the label "jazz singer" because she thinks it is too "limiting." "They had never heard of any of the stuff I was singing, but they liked it, and kept asking about it."

Other singers notice more baby boomers in the audience. Shaw says it's natural for people now hitting their 40s to finally enjoy the songs their parents liked. "Baby boomers are growing up, and really, jazz is a lot more interesting than most of what you hear."

Not all Seattle singers of standards - most of whom are in their 30s or 40s and have been around long enough to see musical fads come and go - agree that there is a revival under way. But it is true that in the last year several new venues have started regularly booking jazz singers. Along with the New York Deli, local jazz singers are routinely scheduled at The Downunder, a sleek, intimate club in the Denny Regrade; Salute! In Citta, a restaurant in the Vance Hotel downtown; and Serafina restaurant on Eastlake Avenue. Venues that have for some time hosted jazz singers include the Latona, a Green Lake tavern; The New Orleans Creole Restaurant in Pioneer Square; Patti Summers; Lofurno's restaurant on the edge of Queen Anne; The Pink Door at the Market; and Prosito, a Tacoma restaurant.

Jazz Alley, Seattle's premier jazz spot, books mostly national jazz talent. But the lineup of local talent at other clubs and restaurants is impressive. One theory about why Seattle is home to so many good jazz vocalists, and instrumentalists is that Cornish College has a strong jazz program that includes singing.

Jay Clayton, a Cornish instructor and former New York jazz scene regular known for her soaring improvisational skills, has taught some of the young singers now performing. Clayton and several jazz instrumental veterans last year hosted an 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday jazz series at The Bathhouse Theatre, which she says may restart in February.

Greta Matassa, an energetic powerhouse who recently strutted through a throaty, Marlene Dietrich-inspired medley of Kurt Weill music as part of a Pacific Northwest Ballet performance, has just released her first CD, "Got a Song That I Sing" (Marks Likes Jazz Records).

Other regulars on the Seattle scene are Kendra Shank, Becca Duran, Kelley Johnson, Reggie Goings, and newcomer Julie Wolf. Seattle's best known homegrown singing talents, Ernestine Anderson and Diane Schurr, make occasional local appearances. Anderson just finished a week at Jazz Alley.

Clayton and Matassa are among those who say the public's appetite for jazz singing has not grown noticeably in recent years, though they say singers have an advantage over musicians in courting new fans.

"People generally like singers," said Matassa, who says singers can connect with audiences through lyrics and very personalized styles. "Jazz singers can cross over to the general public more easily than instrumentalists."

But all agree that the durability of the music they choose - most include a generous helping of standards in their shows - is part of what brings audiences back.

Says Summers: "In 20 years, people will still be asking for Cole Porter, not Madonna." ---------------------------

WHERE TO HEAR THEM

Here are a few spots to hear local jazz vocalists and some upcoming performances:

The New York Deli, 2801 E. Madison, 328-0750. Jan. 15-16, Kendra Shank Quintet; Jan. 24-25, The Kelley Johnson Quintet; Jan. 29-30, Andy Shaw.

The Downunder, 2407 First Ave., 728-4053. Reggie Goings, Jan. 29; Beth Winter, Feb. 19.

Serafina, 2043 Eastlake Ave. E., 323-0807. Julie Wolf, most Tuesdays, Fridays and Saturdays.

La Rive Gauche, 2214 Second Ave., 441-8121. Andy Shaw, Fridays and Saturdays.

Patti Summers, 94 Pike St., 621-8555. Patti Summers Wednesdays-Saturdays.

Latona, 6423 Latona Ave. N.E., 525-2238. Kelley Johnson, Jan. 12; Kendra Shank, Jan. 26.