JAZZ REVIEW : JOHN BLAKE AT PALACE COURT

There has never been a glut of jazz violinists. Most of the pioneers have left us; among the handful who have come to prominence in the last 15 years, the leader in the field, beyond question, is John Blake.

In town for a two-night stand Friday and Saturday at the Palace Court, Blake brought along his own group of fellow Philadelphians; consequently he was able to present his original works in a cohesive setting.

Formerly heard with Grover Washington Jr. and McCoy Tyner, Blake has had the classical training essential to complete command of the instrument. His sound, however, is strongly amplified and somewhat metallic in the memorable tradition of the late Stuff Smith.

There was a flamenco flavor to his opening piece, “Todos Los Ninos,” with a powerful 3/4 beat established by the rhythm team and a sympathetic solo by the pianist Sid Simmons.

“The Other Side of the World,” preceded by a cheerful rap about a visit to Geneva that inspired him to write it, lived up to its title with Blake’s fiercely slashing, near-demonic attack and intensely inventive lines. Gerald Veasley, an exceptionally potent electric bassist, accentuated the extraterrestrial mood in a long solo punctuated by percussive sounds, chord flurries and string-loosening glissando effects. Pete Vinson on drums showed his familiarity with the nuances of every arrangement.

After a hard-swinging workout on Bobby Timmons’ “Dat Dere,” Blake brought an East Indian influence to bear on “Maiden Dance,” played in deft unison with the piano. The set ended spectacularly with “Twinkling of an Eye,” the title cut of Blake’s latest LP, in which Veasley achieved a sitar-like quality and Blake again demonstrated his rare blend of technique, rhythmic vigor and melodic inspiration.

It is a rueful fact of Los Angeles life that groups of this caliber are in and out of town so fast that by the time the word is around, they’re hundreds of miles away. Let us hope the Palace will summon Blake for a return engagement while word of his visit is still fresh in the minds of those who heard about it too late.