Gifted beyond his years

Los Angeles has always played second fiddle to the Big Apple jazz tradition of New York City, despite the long list of world-class jazz artists who trace their lineage to the Southland. That’s made it harder for this region’s talented young artists to establish a reputation without making a move to the East Coast. But it hasn’t diminished either the quality or the number of gifted young players who continue to arrive on the local scene.

The performance by alto and soprano saxophonist Zane Musa’s quartet at Spazio on Sunday night was a case in point. Musa, 24, has been playing at a high level since he was a teenager. But his Sunday-night offering was the work of a mature, imaginative jazz artist. Displaying his wares in a program almost completely devoted to such standards as “Caravan,” “There Is No Greater Love,” “Body and Soul” and “What Is the Thing Called Love?,” he played with a passionate, take-no-prisoners intensity.

On “Softly as in a Morning Sunrise,” one segment was devoted to a lengthy, high-speed exchange between Musa and drummer Tony Austin, with both roaring through musical twists and turns. Other numbers -- “Body and Soul” for one -- displayed Musa’s ability to fill ballad improvisations with spins and flourishes of virtuosic ornamentation while remaining firmly in contact with the song’s essential melodic content.

The set was further enhanced by Musa’s vocals, tinged with the quirky flavor of Mose Allison. The supportive playing of pianist Josh Nelson and bassist Dan Lutz also underscored the growth of a new generation of talented Southland jazz artists. Musa returns to Spazio on Jan. 11 with a different quartet. Los Angeles jazz believers (and even disbelievers) are advised to check out this extraordinarily gifted young musician.