Monday, May 19, 2008

After receiving the Mary Lou Williams Women in Jazz Award at the Kennedy Center Terrace Theater on Friday night, singer Sheila Jordan could scarcely contain herself. "I'm not 79 1/2 ," she giddily exclaimed, "I'm 14 again!"

Ah, those were the days, when Jordan, back in Detroit and newly enamored of jazz, tried to sneak into a club to hear bebop progenitor Charlie Parker, who later became her friend and supporter. Jordan recalled that life-altering moment -- and others -- during Friday's festival performance with great charm, wit and, most of all, gratitude. Still playfully scatting and improvising after all these years, she didn't appear to know just where she was headed during her concert with the Steve Kuhn Trio. Yet it was a pleasure to tag along with her, as she reminisced in song about an encounter she witnessed between Miles Davis and Billie Holiday or alluded to her enduring love for Sonny Rollins and Shirley Horn.

The delight Jordan continues to take in performing the whimsical jazz classic "Dat Dere" proved contagious, and the ballads she sang, alone or with Theo Bleckmann, created quietly affecting interludes. That was due in big part to the Kuhn's trio's subtle support, a problematic piano key notwithstanding.

Pianist Helen Sung, last year's winner of the festival's jazz competition, opened the evening. She began by saluting composer Thelonious Monk with an extended medley of his tunes, imaginatively arranged for trio and quartet and often showcasing her harmonic acumen. More important, Sung sounded comfortable and confident while collaborating with saxophonist Steve Wilson and other seasoned musicians during a multifaceted set that also revealed her classical training.

Drummer Sherrie Maricle and Five Play, a quintet drawn from the ranks of the DIVA Jazz Orchestra, closed out the evening with a roar -- as in a "hear me roar" arrangement of "I Am Woman." Far more enjoyable, however, were the arrangements that soulfully featured tenor saxophonist and clarinetist Janelle Reichman or allowed guest Portuguese vocalist Maria Anadon free rein in both sensual and spirited settings. During an intermission, Hailey Mae Niswanger was named winner of the festival's saxophone competition.

-- Mike Joyce