Review: SUMMERTIME: AWA SAL SECKA SINGS LADIES OF JAZZ at Signature Theatre

Signature Theatre is serving up a refreshing tonic for this summer’s unbearable heat in the form of a swinging cabaret show, “Summertime: Awa Sal Secka Sings Ladies of Jazz.”

The talented actress and sometime playwright has appeared in dozens of shows in D.C. — and several at Signature, including an award-winning performance in its “Ragtime” last year. Here, she shares her passion for jazz singers from the golden era that have never gone out of style in a personable revue backed by a couple of ace musicians.

“It’s so good to see your faces,” the smiling Secka says at the outset, in a manner that’s genuine. Signature’s ARK cabaret setup actually is intimate enough where she could see everyone. 

She begins with a handful of songs associated with a singer that a high school teacher in New York suggested might connect with her.

Sarah Vaughan did, and Secka starts by lending her own cool, melodic style to her versions of such familiar tunes as “Take the A Train,” “I Feel Pretty” and “Misty.”

It was a Vaughan medley that got her into a college tryout — a medley of “My Funny Valentine” and “Embraceable You.” 

Moving to other ladies of jazz, Secka didn’t do impersonations as much as show how much different aspects of the singers she discovered inspired her own style.

First came Nina Simone, whose version of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell on You” began a cappella — its own kind of startling spell — before pianist and music director Josh Jenkins and bassist Stephen Arnold kicked in behind her.

Their framing of the songs throughout the performance was crucial, with smart, tasty touches at nearly every turn, never turning attention too much on themselves but always intent on presenting the headliner in the best possible light. 

Doing Simone allowed the show to go deeper too into the social justice declarations of her brave “Mississippi Goddam,” an admonition that seemed as raw, and as relevant as when it was first recorded months after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham.

But first came the lightness and finesse of Ella Fitzgerald, on the melodic heights of Irving Berlin’s “Blue Skies” and the familiarity of “Bewitched, Bothered and Bewildered” following the lesser-known introductory verse. 

There was just one song associated with Dinah Washington, “If I Were a Bell.” And it was surprising that the show’s title song “Summertime,” in the style of Sarah Vaughan, was one of the night's lesser selections with an interpretation that was neither as languid as Billie Holiday’s nor as exuberant as Billy Stewart’s.

Secka said she was embarrassed to say she only learned last year about Nancy Wilson, a singer she praised for her storytelling skills. “Guess Who I Saw Today,” with its stinging twist, was just the right example of that.

The evening ended with a couple of lunar excursions — “How High the Moon” in the sprightly style of Ella, and for the encore, a final Vaughan, “Fly Me to the Moon.” 

In all, it was a fine mix of songs, smartly arranged and pleasingly presented, for a nice summer night. 

Running time: About 75 minutes, no intermission.

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