There’s not one vessel that can contain the many intoxicating oblations offered by Berkeley vocalist Destani Wolf, but she’s an expert at distilling her various sounds into a single package.
At the first of two sold-out shows on Friday, Dec. 6, at the SFJAZZ Center’s Joe Henderson Lab, Wolf drew on an array of styles, making each one sound as bespoke and resplendent as her gold lamé blouse (a garment that looked like it could have been cribbed from her two-year tenure as ringmaster in the Cirque du Soleil show Bazzar).
Opening with an updated version of Donny Hathaway’s “Tryin’ Times” that featured several new lines referencing our particular moment of angst, she simultaneously addressed and soothed our troubles with her soft delivery and supple, relaxed phrasing. Her contemporary reimagining of the Fats Waller and Andy Razaf standard “Honeysuckle Rose” covered the rhythmic waterfront, from contemporary R&B to torrid Cuban clave (accentuated by the addition of flutist Chloe Scott Jones).
Wolf’s world-class band handled every groove and idiom with deep knowledge and authenticity, starting with the veteran rhythm section tandem of drummer Josh Jones and bassist Geoff Brennan. Colin Hogan moved effortlessly between piano and keyboard, which he wielded with an organ tone that grounded Wolf’s original song “Share Your Peace” deeply in sanctified territory.
Guitarist Kai Lyons, who has become a ubiquitous presence on Bay Area bandstands in recent years, served as an expert improvisational foil for Wolf, providing fuel for her straight-ahead swinging sprint through “There Will Never Be Another You.” Two nights previous, he was down the street backing New York jazz vocalist Marianne Solivan at Mr. Tipple’s, and on Sunday, he played duo with piano maestro Larry Vuckovich at Piedmont Piano Company.
Wolf was equally effective honoring her Mexican heritage with an exquisite version of the bolero “Hasta que te conocí” (Until I met you) and a medley of Christmas tunes that included the sleek soul of Hathaway’s “This Christmas,” the swinging croon of Mel Tormé’s “The Christmas Song,” and the soaring carol “O Holy Night.”
It was a rare opportunity to catch Wolf on her own terms, though you can see (and sing with) her just about every Monday afternoon at Freight & Salvage, where she’s a founding member of Bobby McFerrin’s improvisation-based a cappella ensemble Motion. Work as a songwriter and studio vocalist in Los Angeles also keeps her busy, as does her faculty position at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.
Saturday’s “Jazz Serenata” program certainly whetted the appetite for more concerts by Wolf. With her closing number, when she was joined by San Francisco soul star Martin Luther McCoy, it was impossible not to wish for a whole set of duets. (McCoy will be offering his own soul-steeped holiday program, “The Funk That Stole Christmas,” at Black Cat Dec. 20–21.) Wolf is a singer for all seasons, but the holidays amplify her abiding gift for inspiring gratitude, peace, and communal celebration, which are never in oversupply.
