Jacqui Naylor is a rarity -- a singer/songwriter who often headlines well-known
jazz clubs but is likely to include a lot of
folk-rock performances in her sets.
Naylor is quite capable of performing straight-ahead
jazz, drawing on influences like
Billie Holiday and
June Christy. But on this live double CD -- which includes a disc that was recorded at
Birdland in New York City in 2003 and
Yoshi's in Oakland, CA, in 2004 --
Naylor doesn't stick to straight-ahead
jazz by any means.
Live East/West: Birdland/Yoshi's shows the Northern Californian to be a bluesy
jazz vocalist who is equally appealing as a bluesy
folk-rock/
adult alternative artist.
Naylor's
folk-rock side asserts itself on her original material as well as arrangements of
the Shirelles'
"Will You Still Love Me Tomorrow" and
Buffalo Springfield's
"For What It's Worth" -- and when she's in
folk-rock/
adult alternative mode, one hears a healthy appreciation of
Tracy Chapman,
Natalie Merchant, and
Sheryl Crow. But
Naylor's
jazz side prevails on performances of
George Gershwin's
"But Not for Me" and
Billy Paul's
"Me and Mrs. Jones." Of course, the fact that
Naylor fluctuates between
folk-rock and
vocal jazz doesn't mean that she's going out of her way to compartmentalize -- it isn't like she's consciously saying, "OK, I'm going to be influenced by
Tracy Chapman at 9:30 and
June Christy at 9:35."
Naylor has genuinely eclectic tastes, and whether she veers closer to
folk-rock or
vocal jazz is merely a matter of what feels good on a particular song. Also, the two can easily overlap; on
"Black Coffee," for example, she brings to mind
Chapman and
Billie Holiday simultaneously.
Live East/West isn't recommended to
bop snobs or
jazz purists, but those who are broad-minded enough to enjoy
Anita O'Day one minute and
10,000 Maniacs the next will find this two-CD set to be excellent and delightfully unpredictable. ~ Alex Henderson
