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Music

She sings the body eclectic

Jazz singer Karrin Allyson's work ranges from Joni to Jobim. She returns to the area for a series of concerts with a Brazilian theme.

By MARTY CLEAR
Published February 9, 2006

	[AP photo (2003)]
	Karrin Allyson will perform a medley of Brazilian music and some single songs by Brazilian jazz composers.

Karrin Allyson doesn't make it down to this area often, but when she's here, she makes the rounds.

It was almost three years ago that Allyson, an acclaimed jazz vocalist who often draws comparisons to Ella Fitzgerald, last came to town. She appeared with the Florida Orchestra in memorable pops concerts that played Tampa, St. Petersburg and Clearwater.

She's back in Central Florida for another round of concerts that comes to Tampa and St. Petersburg on Monday and Tuesday, this time as part of the Jazz Masterworks Series.

The series, a project of the University of South Florida's Center for Jazz Composition, started last year and already has brought in some of the most respected names in jazz.

"We had Gordon Goodwin here, and I didn't think he was all that well-known outside of big-band jazz circles," said Chuck Owen, the director of the center. "But so many people came up to me and said, "This is amazing, I can't believe you got him.' "

The idea of the series is to feature jazz composers. But for its first year, Owen said, it seemed wise to bring in some well-known soloists to help build an audience.

Allyson was an obvious choice when Owen started to think about highlighting Brazilian composers. One of her acclaimed recordings, From Paris to Rio, features excellent renditions of Brazilian classics.

"I love Brazilian music," Allyson said by phone from her home in Manhattan. "People like Djavan, Jobim and Ivan Linz. So we'll be doing a Brazilian medley and some single songs by Brazilian composers."

Allyson's minitour starts Sunday with a performance at Rollins College in Winter Park, then moves to Tampa Theatre in Tampa on Monday and the Palladium in St. Petersburg on Tuesday.

She'll be backed at all three concerts by Jazz Surge, Owen's 17-piece ensemble.

"Usually I play with a quartet or a quintet, so this is kind of a different animal," Allyson said. "But I'm bringing my guitarist along, and I imagine we'll break it down and do some things with smaller combos."

The structure of the concert is deliberately fluid, Owen said. He has sent charts to Allyson, and they have agreed on a list of songs, but they'll work out details during rehearsal.

Although Allyson has a fondness for Brazilian jazz, her recordings show a wide range of tastes. Her latest CD, Wild for You, features jazz renditions of pop songs by Joni Mitchell, James Taylor and Cat Stevens. Next up is Footprints, which centers on vocal treatments of instrumental jazz classics by John Coltrane, Wayne Shorter and others.

"I just really like her voice," Owen said. "There's a certain intimacy to her singing that appeals to me. But she also swings well, and there's a bluesy quality to her voice too, kind of like Ella Fitzgerald."

Karrin Allyson with Jazz Surge, 8 p.m. Monday at Tampa Theatre, 711 Franklin St., Tampa, (813) 274-8982; 7:30 p.m. Tuesday at the Palladium, 253 Fifth Ave. N, St. Petersburg, (727) 822-3590. $20 general, $16 seniors, $10 students.

[Last modified February 8, 2006, 09:04:06]