FREDA PAYNE

It was interesting to discover that singer of the '70’s mega-hit, “Band of Gold” fame made her promising jazz debut LP (remember those?), in After the Lights Go Down Low and Much More!!!,

years earlier. Payne was only 22 and so youthful and fresh-voiced that she almost sounded naive in spots on this disk of heavy jazz standards that included “'Round Midnight” and “I Cried for You.” Her strong, mostly uninflected sound was promising for jazz. But with the "British Invasion" and the massive disco inferno churning along on its way, Ms. Payne ended up making her mark with the unforgettable "Band of Gold."

Thirty-five years pass in an instant and the ever youthful Ms. Payne was found in one of Broadway's premier jazz clubs doing what amounted to an Ella Fitzgerald tribute show. Opening with an appropriately tantalizing "The Best Is Yet to Come," the singer launched into “A-Tisket, A-Tasket,” sounding like a dead ringer for a young Miss Ella. Looking remarkably young for her age, Payne offered up a pretty straight forward set showing strong jazz agility and timing in “Mr. Paganini” as well as displaying an authentic understanding of the classic, “St. Louis Blues.”

She filled the evening with more of Ella’s greatest standards, with a lilting “Taking a Chance on Love” a groovy “Duke's Place” (trading bars with the likes of surprise guest, horn player, James Carter) and throwing in some Gershwin and Porter standards along the way.

An element of cabaret was introduced as Payne included a time line and bio of Ella’s life including musical triumphs and personal disappointments. She even went so far as to include the famous and celebrated botch on Ella’s Berlin “Mack the Knife” with some of her own personal boo-boos. She was generous and soft edged; displaying a sincere appreciation of the music she was honored to bestow us with.

All this was easy to swallow, although I think she would have fared better had she chosen to sing the tunes in a lower key. Ella had a pretty light voice and always made sure to sing in key signatures that suited her. It sounded as if Payne was obliged to press a bit and that made for difficulties in tunes like the “Spring Can Really Hang You Up the Most,” where total freedom of tone is required. The rare moments when Payne went into her low voice convinced me that she would be more comfortable hanging out in the alto part of her instrument while still taking advantage of her excellent high notes, when called for.

She closed the show with her “Band of Gold,” making many of us misty with nostalgia. Backed by a trio of classic side men (Lyle Atkinson on bass, Frank Owens on piano and Buddy Williams on drums), she was able to make the case that pop, jazz and cabaret can be intertwined when one possesses the charms of a Freda Payne.