A Master Stylist Inspires Some Wonder

Compare the delivery of vocalist-pianist Shirley Horn to some well-known pop singer--say Stevie Wonder--and the subtlety and drama of Horn’s craft is immediately apparent.

As far-fetched as that comparison might seem, it became reality Tuesday at the Cinegrill inside the Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel near the end of the Horn trio’s first show of a five-night run. Horn coaxed Wonder out of an adoring audience to join her, and Wonder’s highly stylized account of “Our Love Is Here to Stay” stood in sharp contrast to her own minimalist treatment of the song (Wonder’s amazingly agile chromatic harmonica solo, however, was the perfect addition).

A duet with Wonder wasn’t required to appreciate Horn’s technique. Her breath-framed, umber tones and exquisitely patient sense of phrasing had turned the preceding tunes into little moments of theater in which dialogue was central.

She applied this dramatic style at a variety of paces, but nowhere as effectively as on slow ballads. “A Time for Love” and, what’s become Horn’s signature tune, “Here’s to Life, “ carried tremendous tension as the singer left long silences after particularly poignant phrases. A certain vulnerability came out in the wobble of sustained tones and soft, breathy syllables. Sometimes she sang at a whisper. Her spare piano accompaniment became even sparer.

On the up-tempo side, “I’m Just Fooling Myself” gave Horn a chance to display some range and a more solid tone. She put her fine-tuned sense of pace to titillating use on “Fever,” backed only by the brushes of drummer Steve Williams.

Williams, along with bass guitarist Charles Ables, has worked with Horn for years and both can follow her, and each other, like shadows. Their responses to the singer’s twists and silences came with spare embellishment and patience of their own.

Horn’s instrumental play carried an attractive sense of swing and occasionally unusual chord progressions, but left little lasting impression. Much more attractive were her piano solos during vocal numbers, as she more closely mimicked her considered vocal style.

BE THERE

Shirley Horn Trio plays the Cinegrill, Hollywood Roosevelt Hotel, 7000 Hollywood Boulevard; tonight at 8 and Friday-Saturday, 8 and 11 p.m. $25. (213) 466-7000.