Last Saturday afternoon I took my daughters to see fluegelhorn man (and Jazz-L subscriber) Dmitri Matheny lead a Christmas jazz concert at the Yerba Buena Center for the Arts Forum. With him were singer Paula West and Matheny's faithful band - guitarist John Heller, bassist Bill Douglass, and drummer Jason Lewis. Douglass, who has a great deep sound without too much buzz or sustain, has been playing in the Bay Area for ages. He played with Marian McPartland when she was in town a few months ago. Lewis is a real colorful drummer. Both times I've seen him he did some nifty bare-handed stuff. This was my first time hearing Paula West, and I'm putting her near the top of my list of jazz singers from now on: a big clear alto voice, accurate, with a sweet vibrato. Her voice is low, but not languid like Betty Carter's or Nina Simone's.

The material was all Christmas songs, except one Gershwin tune in honor of his centennial. I was eager for (nine year old) Sylvia to check Matheny out since she's started taking trumpet at school. She really sat up and took notice when he started playing his solo on the last tune from the back of the auditorium, having sneaked off stage during the guitar solo. He walked up the aisle playing beautiful fluid phrases, sounding mellow with no amplification.

My favorite pieces were an instrumental God Rest Ye Merry with hip chords, and West having fun with "Santa Baby."

We had a fine time.