JAZZ REVIEW : Sonic Rainbows by Bernsen & Co.

Randy Bernsen may well be the most versatile, technically adroit young guitarist on the contemporary fusion scene. With three albums on Zebra Records in which to prove the point, this fast-rising soloist from Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., made his belated California debut Tuesday at Le Cafe in Sherman Oaks.

Because his albums find him switching instruments and benefiting from the company of numerous guests such as Wayne Shorter, Michael Brecker, Toots Thielemans and Herbie Hancock, it was impossible for Bernsen to duplicate, with the quartet he led in this small room, many of the sounds on his albums. Nevertheless, he was able to create an astonishingly broad tonal palette.

At one point or another, with the help of various synth effects, he managed to simulate the sounds of an accordion, an organ, and most noticeably a steel drum, employed in his reggae-like version of Duke Ellington’s “In a Sentimental Mood.” Once or twice he even let his guitar sound like a guitar.

Concentrating mainly on his own compositions, such as “Be Still and Know” and “The Stomp,” he diversified the rhythms and sounds provocatively from tune to tune. On one number, “You Must Be Joking,” the group dropped its fusion groove in favor of a fast and furious jazz 4/4, with Bernsen keyboarder Taras Kovayl and bassist Gary Willis each contributing at least half a dozen choruses.

As a close friend and longtime Florida associate of the late Jaco Pastorius, Bernsen was not likely to settle for a less than exceptional bassist; in Willis he has found a man of almost comparable brilliance. Drummer Joe Heredia was a no less vital contributor, often doubling or even quadrupling the beat and intensity.

Because performances in this genre inevitably call for one of three volume levels--loud, very loud, and out-of-the-ballpark--the sound in this very intimate setting was earsplitting; only during the first choruses of a couple of numbers was there any attempt at discretion. Given the right setting, Bernsen no doubt will bring his deftly urgent message to the enormous crowds his music seems designed to please.