Veteran Saxophonist Sanders Still Wields Hypnotic Powers

Tenor saxophonist Pharoah Sanders--like other veterans of the avant-garde jazz wars of the ‘60s--has been eclipsed somewhat by the attention devoted to the new young lions of the ‘90s.

But Sanders, 57, is still a powerful, creative artist, a fact clearly obvious to the large, responsive audiences that turned out Tuesday for the opening sets of his six-night run at Catalina Bar & Grill.

For the past few years, Sanders’ performances have generally included a somewhat larger dose of standard tunes--often ballads--than was the case in his more radical years. But on Tuesday, he appeared to be in a fiery musical mood for his second set. Although he generated a warm, probing rendering of “The Nearness of You,” the bulk of his soloing was focused on tumbling torrents of notes interspersed with shrieking multi-phonic sounds.

The impact was hypnotic. With the rhythm section of William Henderson, piano; Jeff Littleton, bass; and Ralph Penland, drums, laying down a trance-like flow of sound and accent, Sanders stood front and center, articulating his improvisations with the declamatory thrust and the passionate persuasiveness of a revivalist preacher. Dressed in a white silk shirt-jacket, a colorful African cap perched on his head, his white beard thrust forward, Sanders was a commanding figure. And, interestingly, the more his improvisations moved toward the outer limits, the more he scoured his horn in search of shaman-like cries and shouts, and the more excited his listeners became. It was a fascinating example of jazz as spiritual experience, of the music’s capacity to move beyond the familiar intersection of melody, harmony and rhythm into pure, passionate expression.

Longtime associate Henderson laid down subtle, discerning support--perfectly playing the role of McCoy Tyner to Sanders’ John Coltrane. Littleton and Penland, two of the Southland’s most versatile accompanists, added their own variations to the style. Given the spontaneity of the circumstances--like many visiting artists, Sanders did not have the benefit of performing with his own established group--the music was first-rate.

The subtext message was clear as well: The young lions of the ‘90s would do well to look beyond their fascination with the bop era and check out the work of probing, still aggressively adventurous old tigers such as Sanders.

* The Pharoah Sanders Quartet at Catalina Bar & Grill through Sunday. 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., (213) 466-2210. $15 cover tonight and Sunday, $17 cover Friday and Saturday, with two-drink minimum. Shows at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m., except 7 and 9 p.m. on Sunday.