Popular Standards Get Smart Jazz Makeovers at Cal State Northridge

Old standards from the American songbook were given jazzy adaptations with respect, love and gusto by John Pizzarelli and Jane Monheit on Saturday night at CSUN's Valley Performing Arts Center. And though each artist has their own particular style of retrofitting these songs to a jazz beat, their combined performances were even greater than the sum of the parts.

Pizzarellii, the son of a legendary guitarist, is himself a guitar virtuoso, perhaps not surprising because he's been playing since age six. His voice is pleasant to the ear but the real strength of his performance comes from the magnificent musical arrangements by his quartet (Larry Fuller on piano, Tony Tedesco on drums and younger brother Martin PIzzarelli on bass).

He opened his hour-plus set with Will You Still be Mine?, followed by a delightful version of Paper Moon and then an upbeat adaptation of Just You, Just Me.

Pizarellii followed those numbers by asking Monheit to return to the stage for a series of duets, each more delightful than the next. By the time they concluded with You Can't Take That Away From Me, it was fair to wonder just how potent the evening could be if the two sang together from start to finish.

The only instrument accompanying them was Pizzarelli's guitar but that, combined with his smooth voice and her incredible range, made each standard sound as if it was being performed for the first time.

After that, Pizarellii and the others in his quartet performed several tracks from his new album, Double Exposure, to be released on Tuesday. Each number was a unique combination of the music he enjoyed during the 1960s and 1970s, such as Neil Young's Harvest Moon and the Beatles' I Feel Fine, and the sounds of musicians from his father's record collection.

Then it was back to standards, including Don't Get Around Much Anymore and an audience participation encore number, As Time Goes By.

Backed by an able trio on piano, bass and drums, Monheit opened the evening with That Old Devil Moon, quickly winning over a full house with her impressive vocal range and exceptional phrasing. Her clarity and vocal control imbued the performance at the Main Hall with the kind of intimacy you might expect from a cabaret setting.

The evening repertoire included Every Time We Say Goodbye, Soon, I Won't Dance, I Wish You Love and an unforgettable version of Stardust. Most of her music, as well as some of Pizzarelli's, was embellished with scat singing, which generally gave the jazz adaptations even greater authenticity.

Both artists were received with warmth and appreciation and both, in return, reflected on the excellence of the Performing Arts Center, which opened only about a year and a half ago. "This is good," Pizzarelli observed. "You have a very nice place to play here."

That hardly qualified as news to the crowd who showered them with applause throughout the evening.

Follow us on Twitter | Like us on Facebook | Sign up for our daily newsletter