JAZZ REVIEWS : FORUM ENERGIZED WITH ‘SPECTACULAR’

Energy was the word Saturday night at the Forum. Electronic energy, rhythmic energy and performance energy. Volume II of the Summer Jazz Spectacular was not an event designed for quiet meditation.

Drummer Alphonse Mouzon’s opening set, overflowing with a vigorous mix of his muscular percussion and some spectacular electronic effects, set the evening’s tone from the very beginning.

Strong-voiced Miki Howard followed, her seven-piece band and three back-up singers virtually guaranteeing that the energy gauge would stay near the top of the mark. Interestingly, one of her finest moments came during a low-keyed but passionately intense reading of the standard ballad, “Imagination.”

But Howard soon returned to the intensity trail with a closing version of “Come Share My Love” that found her touring the orchestra level of the Forum, successfully exhorting the audience to join in her performance.

Pianist Jeff Lorber’s riff-oriented set provided an interesting blend of traditional and contemporary styles. His pieces--”Sand Castles” and “Midnight Snack,” in particular--were fascinating juxtapositions of long, harmonically shifting lines over punchy, funk-drenched rhythms.

Lorber’s soloing was characteristically crisp and to the point. But saxophonist David Koz, too eager to follow in the footsteps of Kenny G, continued to distort his considerable improvisational skills (especially on alto saxophone) with a stage full of visual silliness.

George Howard, wrapping up the show, did what he does best by summoning up a virtual non-stop wave of dance-provoking energy. On pieces like “A Nice Place to Be” (the title piece from his new MCA album), the soprano saxophonist accomplished the remarkable feat of incorporating the bright splashes of color and sound typical of the jazz avant-garde into a package of audience-pleasing, body-moving music.