Wild for Allyson

She’s been likened to Bonnie Raitt on one hand and “a blond Edith Piaf” on the other.

Whew. That covers a lot of musical territory.

Karrin Allyson, who guest stars with the Spokane Jazz Orchestra tonight, is capable of covering all of that ground and more.

Allyson, who came out of the Kansas City jazz scene in 1992, has become one of most sought after jazz vocalists in America.

Even the most influential jazz critics have gotten aboard the Karrin bandwagon.

“Allyson coolly stakes her claim on almost every number,” said Gary Giddins, the Village Voice jazz critic. “She brings a timbre that is part ice and part grain.”

He called her singing “incisive, original, and emotionally convincing.”

Giddins was referring to her 2001 album, “Ballads – Remembering John Coltrane,” which showed off her more serious jazz chops. Other CDs have focused on the blues and bossa nova.

However, her most recent album, “Wild For You,” consists of her interpretations of ‘70s pop tunes, from Joni Mitchell’s “All I Want” to Elton John’s “Sorry Seems to be the Hardest Word” to Carole King’s “It’s Too Late.”

The critics have embraced that CD as well.

“She’s sophisticated enough to envision (these) songs in a pop-jazz continuum that goes far beyond the soft-rock genre they helped define,” wrote Stephen Holden of The New York Times. “Most of the ‘70s songs emerge as more durable pieces of work than they (originally) seemed.”

For Allyson, interpreting these great pop tunes seemed natural, since they are the songs she grew up with.

“When I first discovered jazz in college, I delved into the songs of Nancy Wilson, Carmen McRae, Billie Holiday and Ella Fitzgerald,” she says in her press bio. “But I never forgot about those great pop tunes and featured them during live performances.”

Allyson has also acquired a sexy and sultry image. One reviewer compared her to Peggy Lee and Diana Krall and said her voice “blends libido with narrative – not too jaded, not quite innocent.”

During tonight’s concert, she’ll be singing jazz standards as well as some of the ‘70s tunes from “Wild For You.” She’ll be backed by the 17-piece Spokane Jazz Orchestra, directed by Dan Keberle.

This is the kickoff concert of the SJO’s 31st season.