JAZZ REVIEW : Palmer Has Them Dancing in the Seats : He Plays Buoyant Tunes at El Matador, but Lack of Space Keeps Listeners in Their Chairs

HUNTINGTON BEACH —  Alan Palmer--whom you may have seen around Orange County playing with the vaudeville-ish Disneyland saxophone quintet, the swinging Tom Kubis big band or the rockabilly Gyromatics--revealed the pop-jazz side of his musical personality Thursday at El Matador.

Playing tenor saxophone and EWI (Electronic Wind Instrument), he made sure he got this music across by keeping it uncomplicated and rhythmic.

Many of his modest originals (as a writer, Palmer is neither a Joe Zawinul nor a Wayne Shorter) were based on sequences of short melodic riffs that had a pleasant, buoyant sensibility making them ideal for dancing. Sadly, El Matador does not have a dance floor, so customers had to do their moving in, or on, their seats.

Palmer enhanced these tunes--and selections by others from Cole Porter to Jay Beckenstein and Neil Larsen--with crisp arrangements played neatly as a pin by his quartet, which included saxophonist Jennifer Hall, guitarist Peter Templer and drummer Ray Genovese.

Palmer added further interest with keen orchestration techniques. Hall played soprano, alto and tenor saxes and flute and switched instruments with each number, making for refreshing contrasts. Palmer also programmed his music with some thought: A funky tune like David Sanborn’s “I Told You So” was followed by Larsen’s “Sudden Samba,” something completely different.

To expand his pieces and give the band a larger sound, Palmer (who likes to work with eight players) used prerecorded synthesized sequences as bass lines and, occasionally, percussion and keyboard parts.

He would start a bass part by hitting the space bar on the keyboard of his Macintosh computer, which sat atop a large electronic center that was a mass of switches, blinking lights and connecting cords. Then Genovese, who wore headphones and could hear the cues that started the prerecorded parts, would kick off the tune itself. Most of the numbers concluded with brief, crackling statements; the players were impressive as they delivered these closing thoughts right on the money.

Palmer, who has been influenced by Kenny G and Sanborn, was the featured soloist, though he did give Hall and Templer their moments in the spotlight. On tenor, Palmer coaxed out a broad, resonant sound that he used to propel his stockpile of ideas. Not a stunningly creative improviser, he still was effective as he proved he could segue smoothly from disparate stances, working in a rhythmic drummer-like mode for one phrase and then offering around-the-horn swirls for the next.

The band’s 10-tune set began with Palmer’s “When Dreams Come True,” which moved from a rock-based groove to a brief, jazz-time release. Palmer showed his versatility as he shifted from bluesy thoughts to be-bop-shaped, colorful statements.

He also moved around a lot, bobbing and weaving from side to side, bouncing to a bent-knee position and then returning to an erect posture as if he were on a pogo stick--or lifting his heels and/or feet off the ground on alternate beats. This animation, which was pretty much a constant throughout the performance, may be one way that Palmer expresses himself, but it was precise enough to have appeared choreographed. Whether spontaneous or rehearsed, it was ultimately distracting.

Other originals included “Travelin’ “--the melody was delivered by a tenor/flute combination, and guitarist Templer used a wiry, ringing sound to drive his short, punchy ideas--and “Ariana,” a gentle, tasty bossa-rock number, with Palmer dropping in several rapidly rendered four- or five-note figures and repeating them five or six times.

Palmer was generous in the space he gave other composers. Porter’s “Night and Day” was given a moody, Latin-ish glow, while Larsen’s “Sudden Samba” was bright and cheery. Hall scored during Beckenstein’s “Morning Dance,” with foot-tapping alto phrases, gutsy moans, leaps from top to bottom and funky middle-range lines.