Tabackin’s Athletic Play Commands Attention

Saxophonist Lew Tabackin casts a huge presence when he plays in front of wife Toshiko Akiyoshi’s orchestra, commanding attention with a robust attack and an involved, insistent style of narrative flow.

Little changes when he works with a rhythm section only, as he did Thursday at the Jazz Bakery, and the effect can be overwhelming. On the first night of his three-night stand with pianist Tom Ranier, bassist Tom Warrington and drummer Joe LaBarbera, Tabackin’s tenor play was so determined and vital that, at times, it rendered the rest of his combo invisible.

It’s not that Ranier, Warrington and LaBarbera didn’t contribute, sometimes brilliantly. But Tabackin was so persistently engaging that their accompanying framework became transparent, giving a clear, unobstructed view into the saxophonist’s thinking.

A player with a strong visual presence, Tabackin stomped and cantered centaur-like as he played, his chest swelling with breath as he cut another line. Twice he dropped to one knee. A loud stamp of his foot signaled a turn in direction.

Though strongly expressive, Tabackin kept a certain musical cool, never resorting to rants or upper-register cries and whines. His passion came across in imaginatively melodic lines often played at cut-throat tempos. He worked different tonal styles--a light, dancing Lester Young here, the deep-fleece warmth of Ben Webster there--without indulgent screams or riffing. Everything he played made perfect sense.

His flute work, though looser and not as assertive, was no less commanding. His use of breath, overtone and octave jumps, recalling the sound of the Japanese shakuhachi flute, gave John Coltrane’s “The Wise One” a reverent, Far Eastern flavor. His classically flowing lines on his own “Desert Flower” gave the moody piece an impressionistic feel.

The New York-based Tabackin introduced himself to his Los Angeles engagement bandmates by calling, at different times, for one-on-one sessions with each of them. Played at foot-race speeds, these duets often led to the evening’s best improvisational highs as piano, bass and drums each went a round or two with the quick-witted saxophonist.

* Lew Tabackin appears tonight at the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City, 8:30 p.m. $17. (310) 271-9039.