Two-Part Grammy Jazz Jams a Memorable Night of Music

The Grammy Jazz Jams at the Jazz Bakery on Monday nights are turning out to be a good enough idea to consider extending beyond Grammy month. Monday night’s program--the second in the scheduled four-concert series--was a good example of what can happen in a spontaneous jazz setting when first-class soloists are positioned in front of an equally high-level rhythm section.

Extending from 8 p.m. until nearly midnight, the program unfolded in two segments. The first featured trumpeter Warren Luening, trombonist Bill Watrous, baritone saxophonist Jack Nimitz, vibes player Larry Bunker and singer Michael Dees. The second showcased trumpeter Bobby Rodriguez, clarinetist Abe Most, tenor saxophonist Kamasi Washington and singer Sue Raney.

Each of the groupings was accompanied by the rhythm section of Mike Lang, piano; Jim Hughart, bass; Peter Erskine, drums; and Dean Parks, guitar.

By 9:30, when the opening lineup was concluding its set, the Bakery was packed with enthusiastic listeners. As the solos moved from player to player in the all-join-in climactic number, the value of the format became apparent--the opportunity to hear Watrous’ articulate trombone lines side-by-side with Luening’s free-floating, melodically oriented trumpet work, the gravelly baritone of Nimitz balanced by the fleet vibes of Bunker.

Further underscoring the sheer musical fun of experiencing so many different jazz sensibilities on the same stage, on the same evening, the second set overflowed with its own improvisational riches. Rodriguez, as he often does, mixed imaginative, high-speed lines with tear-the-house-down high notes; Most reminded the audience of the too-often-forgotten pleasures of bebop clarinet; and Washington employed a rich, dark sound at the service of a quirky harmonic vision (notably so during a final high-speed romp through “Cherokee”).

Raney provided one of the evening’s major highlights with a stunning rendering of “How Deep Is the Ocean,” concluding with a startlingly virtuosic coda. And the rhythm section, aside from its solid support, offered Lang’s consistently provocative piano playing, often provocative enough to steal the spotlight from the featured soloists.

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* Grammy Jazz Jam at the Jazz Bakery, with the rhythm section of Tom Ranier, Ken Wild, Harvey Mason and John Morell, and soloists Bobby Shew, Garnett Brown, Plas Johnson, Clare Fischer, Mike Campbell, Sam Most, Jeff Clayton, Ray Pizzi, Frank Marocco and Joy of Six. Monday at 8 p.m. $20 admission. 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City, (310) 271-9039. Reservations recommended.