From Diane Schuur, the Voice of Authority

NEWPORT BEACH —  There’s something of a revival going on among singers who accompany themselves at the keyboard. Of their lot, Diane Schuur, who appeared Friday at the Hyatt Newporter, is the most robust and the most vivacious.

The best known of the pianist-vocalist group, Schuur’s senior colleague Shirley Horn works with a sophisticated reserve, providing spare accompaniment for her soft, languid voice. Newcomer Diana Krall, though more upbeat, brings a sense of nostalgia to her programs, while working in equally vulnerable vocal tones.

Schuur, however, offers determined vocals and a solid sense of identity. Even when singing Patsy Cline’s “Crazy,” there was no sense of loss or despondency. Instead, Schuur left the listener feeling that the song’s purveyor would get over the gentleman in question, or whip him into acceptable shape, even after admitting she was “crazy” for wanting him.

Schuur is no stranger to challenge herself. The blind musician has faced problems with weight and alcohol, arriving in the present with a determination expressed in firm, solid tones and spirited delivery. Not many vocalists have the strength to sing effectively with a big band. Schuur threatened to blow the Count Basie orchestra’s vaunted horn section away when she appeared with them at the Cerritos Center last year.

Working with only bass and drums, as she did at the Newporter, allowed that strength to assert itself on its own terms while offering glimpses of a more sensitive side.

Her program, though decidedly upbeat, did hold quieter moments, as during her presentation of “The Very Thought of You.” Backing herself with string-section synthesizer chords played from an electric keyboard set atop the piano, Schuur gave the tune a warmth and clarity that few bring to the well-known love song.

Schuur also injected a bluesy feel into even the most straight-ahead numbers. These moments, especially during “Blue Gardenia,” brought a sense of pathos to her delivery that contrasted with the overall confident attitude.

Her straight treatment of such tunes as “Love Walked In,” “It Don’t Mean a Thing” and her own “Deedles” gave the first set an accessibility more frequently connected to pop music. And her rock-out closer, “Louisiana Sunday Afternoon” moved to the kind of infectious rhythm even non-jazz fans admire.

The most attractive moments of the show came as Schuur scatted in unison with her own piano play. The blend of her voice and the piano made for stimulating tones, especially when the singer climbed into the upper reaches of her sizable range. She frequently combined sounds from the synthesizer and the acoustic piano, giving the trio an almost orchestral sound.

Although a competent pianist, Schuur’s instrumental improvisations lacked the spark and confidence of her vocals. Her best efforts at the keyboard came when she could forget about singing completely, as in her instrumental version of “Cast Your Fate to the Wind.” At one point in the song, she broke into the Air Force theme as a jet passed over the garden amphitheater audience.

Schuur’s sidemen, drummer Jim Zimmerman and bassist Roger Hines, stayed mostly in the background, providing the framework for Schuur’s piano and vocals while only occasionally breaking out with solos of their own.

Hines was featured on Miles Davis’ “So What” and explored the tune’s simple melody while accenting its rhythmic counterpoints.

Zimmerman rolled and tumbled through “Love Wants to Dance,” giving the song an attractive sense of movement even though it lacked crispness and rhythmic accuracy.

The blend of her voice and the piano made for stimulating tones, especially when the singer climbed into the upper reaches of her sizable range.