Adventure into the past and present

There’s no way to know what to expect from a Dave Douglas performance. The multifaceted trumpeter-composer has such kaleidoscopic musical interests he could easily show up with anything from his regular quintet to his Freak In ensemble to a collective he calls Mountain Passages.

On Thursday at the Jazz Bakery, he kept it straight ahead, appearing with his current quintet, which included tenor saxophonist Seamus Blake, bassist James Genus, drummer Clarence Penn and, on Fender Rhodes piano, Uri Caine.

That’s a solid contemporary ensemble, by any definition, and the music reflected it.

Douglas chose to allow the music to speak for itself, for the most part, moving from one selection to another without identifying individual pieces. Some traced to his just-released album, “Strange Liberation,” with its distinct references to the Miles Davis groups of the late ‘60s and early ‘70s.

Despite the aural associations -- particularly those triggered by Caine’s electric piano -- there were distinct differences. Douglas’ narrow, pointed sound was a far cry from the insinuating warmth of Davis’ playing, and the rumbling texture of the rhythm section (exacerbated by high-decibel bass reproduction) lacked the focused energy of the Davis quintet.

That said, Douglas and his players were at their best when they set aside the past and emphasized their own present-tense abilities -- especially via individual improvisations. Douglas offered precise, interval-leaping solos, their controlled articulateness countered by Blake’s fiery emotionalism. And Caine, the linchpin between the horns and the rhythm, kept the music fully invested with the adventurousness associated with Douglas’ music.

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Dave Douglas Quintet

Where: The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City

When: Tonight and Sunday, 8 and 9:30 p.m.

Price: $30

Contact: (310) 271-9039