Sunday, February 19, 2023

VOCALIST SKY COVINGTON CLOSES A FOUR-NIGHT RUN AT THE DIRTY DOG JAZZ CAFÉ WITH A SPIRITED SET OF JAZZ STANDARDS

Sky Covington

As a journalist who's reviewed jazz concerts in Michigan for many years, I'm embarrassed to admit Saturday evening at the Dirty Dog Jazz Café was the first time I've experienced the chanteuse Sky Covington live. I've been familiar with her well-built reputation as a multi-skilled performer skilled at Neo-Soul, R&B, and jazz. Her stagecraft, I once heard, is on par with the greats Billie Holiday and Sarah Vaughan. For Covington's Dirty Dog closing set, she sang jazz standards terrifically, backed by bassist Ruben Stump, trumpeter John Douglas, drummer Jeff Kennedy, and pianist Alina Morr. The hour set opened with the band sailing through Herbie Hancock's "Maiden Voyage." On that classic, Douglas and Morr fed the audience the song changes like appetizers, after which Covington sang "Satin Doll" with such warmth and aplomb I wondered if Billie Holiday's spirit gave her a pep talk before the performance. Like Holiday, Covington has a realness and warmth that immediately draws you in and never lets you escape. "Don't Get Around Much Anymore," "Green Dolphin Street," and "Afro Blue" were the other standards she and her band repurposed. Covington embodies essential qualities too many jazz vocalists lack. For example, she shared the spotlight with her band and didn't spend the lion's share of the set scatting. The audience experienced the breadth and magnificence of her voice, which covered them like an expensive quilt. The set closer, "Afro Blue," was the best part of the set. She had the audience jot down a positive aphorism on a paper she passed out. After she collected them, she mixed them with the lyrics of "Afro Blue." Before the song ended, she walked through the audience, touching people on the shoulder like a Goddess blessing them. In the 15 years, I've caught concerts at the Dirty Dog, that was the first time I experienced that kind of audience participation. It was overkill because Covington had already blessed the audience with her voice for a solid hour.