Jazz Reviews : Alphonse Mouzon Goes for Accessible Works

With a new recording soaring around the tops of the radio air play charts, it was perhaps understandable that drummer, composer and all-around musical Renaissance man Alphonse Mouzon devoted most of his opening set at Concerts by the Sea on Thursday night to his more accessible pieces.

Working with a quartet--Richard Elliot on saxes, Steve Bach on keyboards and John Pena on bass--that had apparently not been together long enough to have all the parts interact smoothly, Mouzon kept the music direct and appealing, underpinning it with his always solid rhythmic foundation.

“Love Fantasy,” an easy grooving, infectiously melodic line, was brightened by a pyrotechnic interaction between Mouzon and keyboardist Bach, who seemed especially receptive to the drummer’s propulsive drive. A ballad, “Your Eyes Are Beautiful,” had a few lyrical moments from Elliot’s alto saxophone, and “Poodlin’,” a humorous funk piece, showcased Mouzon’s use of sampled dog barks as part of his rhythm patterns.

But the highlight of the set was “Early Spring,” the title track from Mouzon’s new Optimism Records album, and a number that appears destined for considerable popularity. As with many of Mouzon’s other pieces, it bristled with an almost immediately familiar melody and hard-swinging body rhythms.

What made “Early Spring,” and, for that matter, Mouzon’s other pieces special, however, was their surprising capacity to blend easy accessibility with a rich creative density. Melodic and pleasant as Mouzon’s works may have been, the real fascination lay in the turbulent rhythmic and harmonic currents that were constantly streaming beneath the colorful surface of the music.

Mouzon continues at Concerts by the Sea tonight, with performances at 8:15, 10:15 and 12:15, and Sunday, with performances at 8:45 and 10:45 p.m.