Carl Saunders Trades Horn for High-Hat

Trumpeter Carl Saunders’ gig at Spazio in Sherman Oaks Thursday night turned out abit differently from what was anticipated. For one thing, Saunders spent a good portion of each set playing drums, not picking up his trumpet until the final tunes. In addition, the evening moved into jam-session format in the second segment, when trumpeter Sal Marquez (playing fluegelhorn) and trombonist Richard Lopez joined the Saunders trio.

No problem with that. Spazio is a laid-back jazz spot, with the bar and a few tables close enough to the stage to encourage performer-audience interaction and create an easygoing musical atmosphere. Which was very much the case as the full ensemble dipped into a few jam-session classics--”What Is This Thing Called Love?,” “Scrapple From the Apple”--as well as the somewhat lesser-heard “There Is No Greater Love.”

Marquez, as always, was crisp and articulate, his lines flowing with a strong sense of melodic phrasing. Lopez, playing with a warm and expressive tone, was also effective, and pianist Christian Jacob laid down consistently appealing, bop-tinged lines.

In his too-brief turns on his trumpet, Saunders delivered a nonstop flow of ideas, moving through the chord changes in extraordinarily long phrases, barely pausing for a breath before moving into yet another rapidly twisting and turning burst of ideas.

There were times when one wished that he would bring a bit more pacing into his improvising--allowing his remarkable imagination to express itself more effectively by bringing some punctuations of silence into his irrepressible stream of notes. But there was no denying the articulateness of Saunders’ spontaneous inventions. An impressive lead trumpeter when he performs in a big-band setting, he made it clear that he is a gifted improviser as well.

* Jazz is presented nightly at Spazio, 14755 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks. There is no cover charge for the music, and the restaurant area includes indoor and outdoor areas. The schedule of performers varies. Information: (818) 728-8400.