Guitarist Robben Ford Puts Energetic Spin on the Blues

Guitarist Robben Ford has played in so many different contexts--from hard-driving blues bands such as his own Blue Line to gigs with, among others, Joni Mitchell, Miles Davis, the Yellowjackets and the L.A. Express--that he comfortably eludes categorization.

So it wasn’t surprising that his opening set at Catalina Bar & Grill Thursday night was similarly eclectic. True, he spent a goodly portion of the program romping through a variety of takes on the blues. And he didn’t miss many variations, from blues-with-a-bridge to straight-ahead to minor blues, handling each with a blend of articulate musical command and an impressive capacity to use riff-based soloing to generate supercharged rhythms.

But he also tossed in a number or two in which his quartet--Jeff Babko on keyboards, Jimmy Earl on bass and Tom Brechtlein on drums--moved into some adventurous jazz territory. With Babko’s stunning work on Hammond B-3 organ and Fender-Rhodes electric piano leading the way, the group shifted easily out of the blues into free-flying improvisation somewhat reminiscent of the Davis electric groups of the ‘80s.

What made it especially compelling, however, was the ensemble’s sheer musical enthusiasm, its constantly aware interplay, and its capacity to offer communicative sounds and rhythms, even in the most abstract passages.

Ford’s vocals offered a bit less. Mostly centering on tunes from his albums “Supernatural” (not, as he pointed out, the Santana version) and “Handful of Blues,” he was mildly pleasant, in a Todd Rundgren sort of way, without coming close to matching either the intensity or the virtuosity of his guitar work.

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* The Robben Ford Band at Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd. Tonight at 8:30 and Sunday at 7:30 p.m., $20 cover; tonight at 10:30 and Sunday at 9:30 p.m., $18. Two-drink minimum. (323) 466-2210.