NEWTON GROWS

James Newton, the composer and flutist who led a quartet Friday through Sunday at Catalina’s in Hollywood, has come a long way since he was first reviewed here six years ago. In those days he was still playing “Autumn Leaves” and “Bags’ Groove.” Today he has his sights set on more complex objectives.

The first set Friday began with Newton’s “Oblong,” which he described as a blues, though it took no time at all to whirl away into many outward-bound variations. Rather than stay on the blues highway it veered onto the shoulders, ultimately achieving liftoff in a 21st-Century flight of fancy.

The next three compositions were arranged almost as a round--a Newton piece dedicated to Charles Mingus, a Mingus piece dedicated to Duke Ellington and an Ellington piece dedicated to nobody. In the first of these, pianist Kei Akagi embarked on a long, unaccompanied solo that began with lush, impressionistic chords, then edged into a swashbuckling atonal brand of free jazz before the bassist and drummer joined in to coax him back into a loping 4-4. It was an extraordinary performance, leaving no doubt that Akagi is a name to watch for.

For a while, Newton seemed more laid-back than usual; perhaps because of a recalcitrant sound system, his tone lacked its usual strength and confidence. But on “Black and Tan Fantasy,” the arrangement achieved a delightful mixture of ancient and modern (Ellington wrote it in 1927), with Akagi playing old-timey triplets and Newton throwing in growls, leading to the traditional Chopin quote at the end.

More intense was the brooding “Virgin Jungle,” a much later Ellington work, with Newton meeting the challenge of this more demanding piece and Akagi again mincing no notes.

Scott Colley revealed in his two solos that he is one of the best and brightest of the younger bass players. Sun Ship Pheus, a reliable section drummer, had a long and dramatic solo workout on “Virgin Jungle.” Man for man, this is the most versatile and intriguing group Newton has yet fielded.