MUSIC REVIEW : Flutist Shows Diversity in Classical, Jazz/Rock Performances : . . . and Then a Lively Foursome

A jazz/rock/pop/classical band, Free Flight, can make almost any music come alive but spends too much time playing it safe.

Saturday at the South Coast Community Church in Irvine, the extremely talented and potentially very musical foursome--James Walker, flute; Mike Garson, keyboard; Jim Lacefield, bass; Ralph Humphrey, drums--wavered between pieces that truly taxed the rather amazing abilities of the players and simple pop-ish ditties of little musical excitement or substance. As innocuous as these latter numbers were, and as inappropriate as they seemed when contrasted with the group’s meatier items, they still pleased the audience, which gave the ensemble an enthusiastic reception.

Of the several strong pieces in the group’s personable presentation, “Moz-Art,” based on a Mozart piano concerto, was nicely arranged with colorful written sections. The piece allowed Walker, a classical virtuoso, and Garson to shine in tossed-back-and-forth exchanges that were the musical equivalent of two kittens playing tag. “Interaction,” based on Miles Davis’ “Solar,” found Walker switching from piccolo to C flute, and at one point going from quicksilver jazz runs to parade fife allusions. Garson’s introduction, with its repeating figures and its leaping chordal passages, was exemplary.

Such tunes as “Illumination”-- which went from prerecorded ocean sounds and long, floating flute tones to a pop/rock melody and a prancing Garson improvisation--and “Admiration,” which began as a pretty ballad but turned into a nondescript rock instrumental, proved far less interesting.

The evening’s high point came when Garson opened the second half of the concert with an unaccompanied medley of Gershwin tunes, delivered from the acoustic piano. He began with “Summertime,” closed with excerpts from “An American in Paris” and “Rhapsody in Blue,” and in between offered snippets of a swaying “My Man’s Gone Now,” a wonderfully multinoted “Fascinating Rhythm,” a bluesy “Our Love Is Here to Stay” and half a dozen others, making the segues between tunes so discreetly that the next number had started while you thought you were still hearing its predecessor.

If Free Flight is to live up to its potential, the members should forget the fluff.