Best Jazz Artist

Get up close to singer-pianist Lyn Moore when she's out on the town during one of her solo gigs, and she'll blow your ears right off your head. Of course the jazz chanteuse hasn't been out and about much lately. Her five-nights-a-week solo gig at Toni Bishop's Restaurant and Jazz Club ended abruptly last November when Bishop's closed amid rumors of financial insolvency and high-society shenanigans. Seemingly unfazed by the sudden termination, Moore found steady work with Wayne Huizenga, whose associate Steve Woznick hired the Columbus, Indiana, native for the National Car Rental Center's semiexclusive Emerald Club, where she performs at every Florida Panthers home game. Beyond the Panthers and select private appearances, however, your best chance of hearing Moore will be later this year when her second album, Let's Get Back to Love, will be released. While we won't quibble with Moore's current choice of employer here, we will unequivocally state for the record that Huizenga got himself one crackerjack performer in Moore. Not only has she successfully managed to integrate sequenced tracks seamlessly with her acoustic piano, but her set of ballsy alto pipes and her formidable gift for interpreting everything from Cole Porter and Billie Holiday standards to Shirley Horn and Diana Krall modern classics has established Moore as the premier jazz act in the neighborhood.