Rachel Z Trio Brings Shorter’s Music to Life

Performing before a sparse crowd can be a tough experience for any jazz ensemble. And when a booking begins on a Monday night--as it did for the Rachel Z Trio at the Jazz Bakery--it’s a pretty fair bet that there will be plenty of empty seats.

So it was no surprise that it took a few numbers for the ensemble, with Rachel Z on piano, Miriam Sullivan on bass and Allison Miller on drums, to settle into the creative state of mind that is so present on their new recording, “On the Milky Way Express.” As on the album, most of the opening set was devoted to the music of Wayne Shorter.

Z’s attraction to the works of the veteran saxophonist-composer is understandable; they worked together and collaborated in the mid-’90s. And she performed them with meticulous attention to the subtle harmonic details of Shorter’s music.

Despite the appeal of its inner complexities, however, the compositions--with a few exceptions, such as “Footsteps” and “Black Nile”--do not offer many familiar musical signposts for the general jazz audience. And that made for rough going in a good part of Z’s set, which contained few familiar reference points in the compositions or the improvisations.

Fortunately, once past the opening-set jitters, the trio came up with improvised passages compelling enough to bring the music to life.

Z’s piano soloing, a bit busy in the early part of the program, became more focused as the music unfolded. On Shorter’s “Footsteps,” she was in especially rare form, at one point soaring across the top of an incredibly fast tempo.

Miller’s drumming, very much an equal partner in the proceedings, was a cornucopia of sounds--subtle, understated brush strokes alternating with roaring surges of drums and cymbals. And the undercurrent of Sullivan’s bass held everything together, balancing a steady, propulsive drive with upfront, declamatory soloing.

Too bad there weren’t more people on hand to hear it all.

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* The Rachel Z Trio at the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City. Tonight at 8 and 9:30. $18 admission. (310) 271-9039.