Concert review | Boz Scaggs delivers in Jazz Alley set, from blues to Broadway

Concert Review |

Chances are you have never heard the Boz Scaggs song "Harbor Lights" the way it is being played at Jazz Alley, where Scaggs is drawing sold-crowds in a rare local club date through Sunday night.

"Harbor Lights," a popular tune from Scaggs' hit 1976 album "Silk Degrees," is introduced here with a pensive accordion solo by Gil Goldstein, the excellent keyboard player-arranger who heads up Scaggs' current touring band.

Boz soon chimes in on voice and acoustic guitar, and then reed man Paul McCandless (formerly of the group Oregon) contributes a terrific solo. On penny whistle.

Stripped of the initial recording's electric piano and wash of 1970s pop slickness, "Harbor Lights" is almost completely remade. And in this stripped-down, French-flavored version you get closer to the interesting chord changes and heartfelt lyric.

Judging by his satisfying and adventuresome Jazz Alley set, and by his recent albums of jazz standards (including the new "Speak Low," now out on the Decca label), Scaggs has reinvented himself musically once again. But what has remained constant about this thoughtful singer-guitarist, in all his musical phases — from his fertile 1960s tenure with the Steve Miller Blues Band, to his more homogenized middle-of-the-road 1970s pop period, to his current diversity of styles — is that supple singing voice that is pure Boz.

The lanky Texas native's high baritone has an unusual timbre, a tender soulfulness with a pinch of grit. His phrasing is impeccable, tapered and nuanced with great care.

Looking and sounding great in his mid-60s, Scaggs covers a blues-to-Broadway batch of tunes at Jazz Alley. And he's clearly enjoying his gently swinging sidemen, including McCandless and horn player Bob Sheppard.

The layered instrumental sound here is reminiscent of the "cool jazz" charts on late 1950s recordings by such leading horn hipsters as Stan Getz and Gerry Mulligan. Whether he's crooning one of his own oldies like "We're All Alone," or an enduring show tune like Kurt Weill's seductive "Speak Low," Scaggs and company roll each tune out on a beautiful sonic carpet.

True, bossa nova may not be Boz's strongest suit — as his tepid cover of Antonio Carlos Jobim's "Dindi" suggests. And on occasion, longtime backup singer Monet Owens nearly drowns Scaggs out, as she strains for high-pitched, flashy effects that seem contrary to his more subtle style.

Otherwise, Scaggs is in excellent form, and still exploring musically.

But for those who fondly recall his early bluesy days, the highlight of Friday night's second set had to be "Save Your Love for Me." That smoky blues fits Scaggs like a pair of lean jeans. And his ringing guitar riffs (from the less-is-more school of B.B. King) are a pleasure.

Misha Berson: mberson@seattletimes.com