chris wong in sync

The first thing I noticed about Devil May Care, the just-released CD by Vancouver jazz vocalist Kate Hammett-Vaughan, was the cover photo, so I might as well deal with that right away.

Hammett-Vaughan makes like a mermaid in the shot, involving discreet nudity. The back cover shows the reverse angle, and a photo printed right on the CD is a full nude, but again, presented discreetly. Hammett-Vaughan says the photos were the result of "happenstance."

During a shoot with photographer Chris Cameron on the rocks at Spanish Banks, Hammett-Vaughan was changing into a tight velvet dress behind a sheet when she joked about being a mermaid. So Cameron took some shots with the dress up to her waist and arms over her breasts. Then the photag suggested doing "Venus on the half shell" nudes, which Hammett-Vaughan posed for at dusk in the rain.

She never expected to use these photos for the album's artwork, but liked the mood of them. "I may never be this old and look this good again," adds Hammett-Vaughan, who turns 45 in May. From the sounds of it, a sex sells approach wasn't behind the art direction. Devil May Care, on Vancouver's Maximum Jazz label, also has more going for it than just sexy images.

Hammett-Vaughan sings with compelling assurance throughout the album of both jazz standards and not-so-standard tunes. The standards include "I Remember You" and "All of You." But for the most part she consciously avoided covering tunes from the American songbook of standards that have been over recorded. Instead, Hammett-Vaughan convincingly interprets "Poor Boy" by Nick Drake. That's one of the songs she performed at the 1999 tribute concert to Drake, the late British folk-rock icon. Hammett-Vaughan also pulls off "Strange Weather," the extraordinary piece that Tom Waits and Kathleen Brennan wrote for Marianne Faithfull.

Then there are tracks like "Weird Nightmare" by Charles Mingus and "You Know Who" (based on "I Mean You" by Thelonious Monk) that instrumentalists have primarily covered. As well, she provides her affecting take on "Throw It Away," an obscure tune that Abbey Lincoln recorded for an album called A Turtle's Dream. On all of this material, Hammett-Vaughan projects a warm tone, expressive phrasing and improvisational instinct-qualities that transcend real and perceived boundaries between standards and non-standards.

As for the members of the singer's quintet-pianist Chris Gestrin, tenor and soprano saxophonist Jim Pinchin, bassist Andr‚ Lachance and drummer Tom Foster-they're in sync with her vocalizing and each other. There's ample room for the musicians to stretch out, and they do so in crisp solo turns. Overall, the quintet, which has been together about four years, achieves a rare affinity. "It's the thing that allows us to put a truly individual spin on the music," says Hammett-Vaughan. All in all, Devil May Care continues the momentum Hammett-Vaughan and the group established on the wondrous, Juno-nominated How My Heart Sings, and effectively explores some new moods.

Hammett-Vaughan and the quintet perform CD release gigs April 5 and 6 at the Cellar, where the group usually plays to packed houses. She will also sing in a trio setting April 11-13 at O'Doul's Restaurant & Bar.

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The 2001/02 Capilano College Jazz Series, at the college's Performing Arts Theatre, is winding down with some appealing shows. Vocalists Dee Daniels and Denzal Sinclaire, both local treasures, will perform April 5 and 6. They'll sing with the Cap A Band and NiteCap vocal ensemble, groups that impressed me when I recently heard them accompany Kurt Elling.

Electric bassist Chris Tarry and his Collective Conscience nonet will play April 11. Tarry's Of Battles Unknown Mysteries, which features the nonet, deservingly won a West Coast Music Award and is nominated for a Juno. Tarry and the group also performed superbly at Norman Rothstein Theatre last December. At Cap College the nonet will include strong Vancouver players and Torontonians Michael Occhipinti (guitar), Kevin Turcotte (trumpet) and Barry Romberg (drums).

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Here are two completely different options for hearing live music on a specific night: April 12.

Cellist Rufus Cappadocia will perform at the Western Front. If you think it would be difficult for a solo cellist to engage an audience, then you haven't heard Cappadocia. The Canadian-born, New York-based musician, who plays a five-string electric cello, has a striking sound and style. That was evident when he performed with the Paradox Trio at last year's jazz festival. His distinctiveness also comes clearly across on a live solo CD I've been listening to. At the Western Front he'll play solo in the first set and with guitarist Tony Wilson and drummer Dylan van der Schyff in the second set. Cappadocia will also give a workshop at the Western Front that day (3 p.m.).

Across town at UBC, the Gyuto Monks-a Tibetan Tantric choir-performs at the Chan Centre. The monks, who live in exile in India, are masters of multiphonic chanting that's fascinating to experience.