I r""'T""'1 ~ I Masters of :I :I mainstream r""'T""'1 Donna Byrne, Dave McKenna, (f;rqy Sargent and Marshall Wood i':f, I interpret that Great American Songbook By Chet Williamson cians and critics alike, they call jazz: to interpret, to improvise, It's ll music has its mainstream - a Ask Vache, "She's a sweetheart," he sort of a name that someone gave to me source from which the lifeblood said, "She's an absolutely talented, won- and I sort of thought, 'That was just fine.' " flows, In jazz, the Great derful human being, But don't tell her I "I'm 66, and I grew up with those American Songbook has been a said that." tunes," McKenna added, "I think those mighty river of inspiration for And Tony Bennett, who called her "one are the greatest tunes - tunes written everyone from Louis Armstrong of the best young jazz singers in the coun- before I was born, up until 1950, '55, Ato john Coltrane, try today," There are some good tunes coming out But did you know that the Great As a vocalist, Byrne delivers her songs but not many written for piano players American Songbook isn't a book at all- in brown paper packages tied up with and singers, I resisted not only rock but and mainstream jazz has no real identity? string, Her favorite things are straight modern jazz, when it stopped being The Great American Songbook is not a readings of tunes devoid of affectation, A melodic." published book. Instead, it is an unbound little wrinkle here, A fold in the fabric McKenna is the Ted Williams of jazz, collection of songs played by musicians there, It's the simple things in life, like He's a private, unassuming man off the over the years that have become standards, snowflakes on your eyelashes, Byrne field, but in the game he swings hard and The book includes works by such -tune- often articulates so that the lyric and graceful just like the Splendid Splinter. smiths as Irving Berlin, George Gershwin melodic content stand out, not the McKenna's style is profoundly and Cole Porter. Then there are Richard singer. And in a world of highwire- lyricaL His ideas string Rodgers, Harold Arlen and Duke act performances, her deceptively together perfectly, With Ellington, And Burton Lane, Vernon simple approach is refreshing, Her an encyclopedic knowl- Duke, Hoagy Carmichael,,, , latest CD is It Was Me, on edge of songs, McKenna There is no register of names, There is Daring Records, can sew an entire set of no beginning, There is no index, For inter- "The thing that strikes me music together by associa- pretation, see Frank Sinatra, Tony about Donna is that she's gota tion, A word, phrase, melod- Bennett and Nat Cole, and Billie Holiday, nice sound," said pianist ic motif or harmonic pattern Sarah Vaughan and Ella Fitzgerald, Dave McKenna, "She's got will set up segues for him to tie jazz musicians who regularly dip into great intonation, She's just it all together, the reservoir of the Great American a damn good singer, and a Besides his longtime associa- Songbook are often classified as "main- hell of a lady, She sings tion with Sargent and McKenna stream," The book may be the source for well all the time but and other local luminaries, bassist material, but the mainstream tag is too some nights she really " Wood is nationally recognized for confining and may have no real meaning, sings the hell out of his work with Monty Alexander, "I don't know what 'mainstream' is. I've a ballad, She is Marian McPartland and the Concord never known," said trumpeter Warren one of my favorite All-Stars, An acoustic player who Vache, a Benny Goodman alum, "What I singers." frames tunes like a catcher setting a tar- play are good songs with harmonies that get for a pitcher, Wood can handle any- involve more than three chords '" with thing thrown at him, lyrics that say more than 'Let's do it in the "Marshall is a magnificent bass player," road.' More than that, I don't know what Byrne said, "He just happens to be my . to tell you, husband, He has a real work ethic, He "I don't think it is possible to find a would approach a bar mitzvah or wed- word or idea '" the genre is so broad and ding with the same dedication as if he so wonderfully open for invention, There worked Tavern on the Green, He's a won- really isn't a term that is going to tell you derful accompanist. He's learned with the what it is in a nice, simple, complete, easy- best: Anita O'Day and Chris Connor." to-understand sentence, Because the Sargent is best known for his 25-year music is not complete, simple or easy to said local jazz patriarch Emil association with Illinois jacquet. His work understand," Haddad, "If you say jazz, you might with the tenor titan has included record- Four of the world's best interpreters of have a little problem, But ifyou say ing, worldwide tours and a 1994 Carnegie American song who have been called nav- you are going to play the Hall performance, Sargent has also gigged igators of the mainstream movement: American Songbook '" people with Scott Hamilton, Ruby Braff and Roy singer Donna Byrne and musicians Dave are going to say, Well, they are going to Eldridge, among others, His guitar playing McKenna, Gray Sargent and Marshall playa lot of great old standards.' Versus springs from the garden of Charlie Wood, perform together two shows at 7 somebody coming in just to blow some jazz." Christian, A gifted melodic improviser, and 10 p,m, Friday, june 28, at Old "I didn't start out classifying it," Byrne Sargent's solos are never fragmented, Vienna Kaffeehaus in Westboro, Deflecting the com- said, "I started out just where I am now, I They tell completed stories, Now that Rebecca Parris has left New pliment back at McKenna, Byrne said, sing songs that I like, That's it. Musicians "Gray and Dave are in that genius cate- England for greener pastures, Byrne just "He's been great to me, He's gone out of said to me, 'You are a jazz singer.' I said, gory," Byrne said, "It's almost like they are may be New England's premier jazz his way to create opportunities for me, For 'What does that mean?' They said, 'Well, communicating in a language that nobody singer, Although this 46-year-old mother example, I was invited to a private party you invent these melodies, You play with else can understand or access, There have ofthree didn't begin singing in public until on the cape where Tony Bennett was a the time.' been times when I've forgotten to come she was 27, Byrne has come a long way in guest. Dave was the piano player at the "I change the time to play with it, to back in, when 1was supposed to, because 'a hurry, Besides a growing legion of fans, party, He manipulated the situation so swing it. It's different every time, I change I've been so mesmerized by what I've Byrne has become the darling of musi- that I could sing in front of Tony Bennett." melodies and bend notes, and that's what heard," • WORtlSIIR MAO'"'' • JUNE 26, 1 SS6 17.