Kendra Shank

You Won't Be Asking
'Kendra Who?' for Long

By DON HECKMAN
Special to The Los Angeles Times
November 22, 1999

The name Kendra Shank may not ring a bell with many jazz fans--at least not yet. But, amid a field of singers that is expanding with startling rapidity, the Northern California-born performer is slowly but surely becoming a standout.

Making a relatively rare Southland appearance Saturday night at the Bonaventure Brewing Company in the Westin Bonaventure Hotel, Shank consistently displayed her most vital musical characteristic unique and immediately identifiable sound and style. Although occasional glimmers of influence from Sheila Jordan--as well as Shank's mentor, the too-little recognized Seattle singer, Jay Clayton--occasionally broke through, her overall approach was distinctly her own. And her lush sound, moving easily from dark chest tones to a crystal clear upper register, allowed her to invest the songs with a full palette of emotional coloration.

Shank's final set, during which she said, "We just like to have fun," actually did considerably more. Working with pianist Karen Hammack's trio on a fairly spontaneous basis, most of the numbers were assembled in process. But Shank's obvious musical intelligence brought the material together in a fashion that was both structurally sound and improvisationally compelling.

Her renderings of songs often took a reconstructive path, as she disassembled phrases, then reassembled them in her own imaginative fashion. On pieces such as "How Deep Is the Ocean" and "The Song Is You," the results were remarkable--the original flow of words and music still present, but recast into a form that brought new illumination to the story and the song.

And on Abbey Lincoln's lyrics for Thelonious Monk's classic "Blue Monk," Shank further revealed that she is fully capable of singing the blues in solidly swinging, mainstream fashion. Equally important, she refused to fall into the trap of superficial scat singing, wisely preferring to frame her improvising around the phrases and words of the songs themselves, always retaining enough contact with the original melody to draw her listeners into the performance.

If there's any justice in the music world, you should be hearing Kendra Shank's name--along with the superb music she makes--a lot more.

Copyright 1999 Los Angeles Times

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