Jazz and Pop Reviews : Vocalist Betty Carter Soars With Trio at the Cinegrill

It was in the wake of her trio’s brilliant rendition of Thelonious Monk’s “Rhythm-a-Ning” that singer Betty Carter took to the stage of the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel’s Cinegrill. There was an announcement of her name, but there was no music to bring her on, no sure-fire opener that she could slip into with show biz elan that would grab the audience.

Instead, she paced around a little, walking awkwardly with her feet spread wide, her eyes cast down as if she were looking for land mines. She smiled briefly after she’d staked out her territory and said that she’d like to start off with something that would “let you know what I’m all about in a minute.” Carter counted to four and launched the band into an easily paced swing tune that served as a tidy vehicle for chorus after chorus of scat vocals.

It took less than a minute to discover that jazz is what Carter is all about and those audience members wanting to hear anything different could have used the opportunity to exit. But nobody left, and everybody was treated to an hourlong lesson in the art of jazz singing.

Deliberate is the key to Carter’s approach. Despite the improvised nature of her performance, her freedom of expression is guaranteed only by the determined quality of her musical surroundings. Her band--a trio composed of pianist Darrel Grant, bassist Ira Coleman and drummer Troy Davis--must snap to and quick with precision or Carter can’t fly.

Grounded only momentarily during a difficult and demanding arrangement of “All Through the Day” (the tune changed time signatures like Imelda Marcos changes shoes), Carter soared, her voice typically cascading over each tune’s melody. After her opening number, she dragged the band down from its swing pace to the gentle ballad, “Where Or When.” With a snap of her fingers, the band jumped into “Dearly Beloved” and then she took only bassist Coleman for a sprint through “Blue Moon.” Another segue, another ballad, “Imagination,” followed before she stops for breath.

The beauty of Carter’s performance lies in the challenge of her work. There are others whose voices are more pure; others who scat more lyrically; still others whose emotional content is more wrenching. But there is no one who packages all of those elements and emerges with such pure jazz.

Carter works the Cinegrill through Sunday.