Vocalist Jacqui Naylor Celebrates New Release at the Herbst

Performing tracks from her new release, You Don't Know Jacq, Jacqui Naylor brings her homegrown, Bay Area style to the Herbst Theatre tomorrow night. It's a vocal style once described in the San Francisco Examiner as ""Billie Holiday's inflections and a touch of June Christy." Naylor's website has an extensive list of audio tracks if you'd like to hear how, exactly, that Holiday/Christy confluence manifests in song.

Celebrating the CD release with Naylor tomorrow will be Faith Winthrop, esteemed San Francisco singer and vocal coach, whose name is often preceded by the term "legend." Winthrop has coached the likes of Al Jarreau and Holly Cole -- Cole being another favorite of mine, first known to me through her cover of the Tom Waits tune "Jersey Girl."

Winthrop, vocal teacher and friend of Naylor's, celebrates her 77th birthday in the context of Friday's show. There will also be a Thomas Heinser photography exhibit in the grand lobby, as well as a room for members of the Buddhist community who wish to join Naylor for a chanting session before the performance.

Jacqui Naylor grew up in Saratoga, musically inspired by her parents' vintage jazz collection. She's now based in Hayes Valley. You Don't Know Jacq is her 7th recording, featuring jazz standards of rock classics, and vice versa -- like the bluesy fusion of "Losing My Religion," the REM classic, and the very cool "Something Cool," bringing in that aforementioned June Christy reference, with the "cigarettes, I don't smoke them as a rule" lyric and a moody Naylor interpretation.

You can get tickets for the November 21 performance through City Box Office. Tickets range from $20 to $36. The show's at 8p at Herbst Theatre, 401 Van Ness Avenue (at McAllister).

^{Image © Jeff Bizzell}