Jazz Reviews : Roland Hanna Piano Trio Hits and Misses at Catalina

The piano trio is jazz reduced to its essence--a performance unit that is as lean and primal as classical music’s string quartet.

Pianist Roland Hanna, performing with L.A.’s Andy Simpkins on bass and Ralph Penland on drums at Catalina Bar and Grill Friday night, would seem to be a good candidate for the proper care and feeding of this most basic of jazz ensembles. Trained at Juilliard, an adept cellist and a serious composer, Hanna clearly possesses the kind of broad musical overview required to make the most of a jazz piano trio.

There were moments in his opening set when that overview seemed to bring everything together. An opening romp through “Softly, as in a Morning Sunrise,” for example, was brightened by Hanna’s placement of long, loping improvised lines above the roiling surge of the bass and drums.

On “Someday My Prince Will Come,” Hanna constructed a set of variations laced with fiery runs that exploded across the keyboard--a startlingly dramatic contrast to Simpkins’ lean and lyrical bass solo.

But there were other moments when the interest lagged, and the Hanna trio produced less of the essence of jazz and more of the excess. Hanna’s samba-based original, “Time for the Dancers,” started off with a pleasant melody, but the pianist’s pedal-heavy, chord-saturated improvisation verged dangerously close to a cocktail jazz interpretation.

To his credit, Hanna made the most of what was, essentially, a trio assembled for this engagement. One can only speculate about what kind of magic his considerable creative skills could work with the luxury of a well-rehearsed, solidly interactive ensemble.