In a one-nighter at Jazz at Kitano recently, Marlene VerPlanck reminded audiences of why she's so greatly respected as a musician. Her singing has a kind of matter-of-factness, and yet it seems to befit a special occasion. There's an effervescent quality in her timbre that evokes the feeling one may get upon hearing sleigh bells at Christmastime.

She sounded especially fine on most of her swinging numbers, including her opener, the vivacious "Don't Fall in Love Without Me," (uncredited), as well as the warm and cheering "The Way You Look Tonight" (Jerome Kern, Dorothy Fields), which featured an exciting piano interlude by Tomoko Ohno. When VerPlanck sang up-tempo songs, a smile was almost always on her lips, and—if you closed your eyes—you could hear it in her voice.

She also delivered the goods while in ballad mode, especially on Rodgers and Hammerstein's "I Have Dreamed," which was sung in a measured, knowing way against an appropriately dreamy accompaniment. Her take on "Where Can I Go Without You?" (Peggy Lee, Victor Young), was another highlight, finding her both technically on the mark and emotionally resonant,

Vocal thinness was occasionally apparent in some numbers, such as the Gershwins' "Isn't It a Pity?" The same quality affected her high-pitched scatting at the close of the gently swung "This Heart of Mine" (Harry Warren, Arthur Freed). VerPlanck offered a long program—at least 80 minutes of singing—and this was her second set of the evening. So perhaps her voice was simply growing tired.

She had good rapport with Ohno and the other musicians (bassist Jay Leonhart and drummer Rick Visone), but occasionally they tended to overwhelm her, as on Murray Grand's "Not a Moment Too Soon."  This may have been due in part to Ohno's infectious enthusiasm. At times she seemed to be so happy to be playing this music that she couldn't constrain herself from really hammering it home.

The program was extremely informal, which at times I found frustrating. VerPlanck occasionally spent time onstage conferring with her musicians, as though devising the set list on the spot. She would introduce a song and remember the name of the composer but not the lyricist, or vice versa—then give a "well, somebody wrote it" shrug and move on. She also told a less-than-accurate anecdote about "Isn't It a Pity?" having languished forgotten for decades in a Secaucus, New Jersey warehouse with other lost musical rarities.

VerPlanck certainly displays a winning presence while she's singing. I only wish she would showcase herself better between numbers. I hope to see her sometime in a program in which she retains her spontaneity—but within a more formal structure and with a more carefully prepared itinerary. Why shouldn't a shining star find ways to show off her shimmer to best effect?

Jazz at Kitano  –  July 11