Jazz Reviews : Creative Interpretations by the Alan Pasqua Trio

Alan Pasqua, a gifted young pianist who led his trio at the Catalina Bar and Grill Wednesday, proved to a nearly full house that contemporary jazz can be creative without either the mind-set or equipment of rock ‘n’ roll.

Working from behind a grand piano and accompanied by the acoustic string bass of Chuck Domanico and drummer Vinnie Colaiuta, Pasqua led the trio through a handsome, five-tune set of original compositions that satisfied both the ears and the feet.

While there was nothing particularly danceable about any of Pasqua’s imaginative tunes, each was rhythmically compelling, spurred to urgency by Colaiuta’s powerful drumming. (During the opening “Acoma,” a tune written to commemorate the Acoma Indians of New Mexico, the drummer was overpowering, but he soon settled into a musically solid groove and made fine contributions.)

Pasqua is a melodist first, with a keen sense of harmonic structure that provided good settings for improvisations. Never was there a sense that a tune wouldn’t survive without constant repetition in a single melody line, as is the case with so much fusion jazz. As a soloist, Pasqua was up to the demands of his own tunes, creating beautiful lines in the quietly rendered “Love’s Way” and “Heartland” and showing powerful bebop roots in “Miles.”

Bassist Domanico was totally effective as an accompanist and generously accomplished as a soloist. His work on “Miles” was inspired.

Pasqua, if he can succeed in avoiding fusion fashion, should be able to maintain a career at the cutting edge of jazz.