JAZZ REVIEW : Trotter Steps Out in Mainstream

It’s time for Terry Trotter to come out of hiding.

The talented and versatile pianist--a rising star on the Los Angeles jazz scene in the early ‘60s who now plays mostly an accompanying role with such artists as guitarist Larry Carlton and pop singers Steve Lawrence and Eydie Gorme--revealed at Le Cafe on Monday what the cognoscenti have known for years: that he is one of the finest keyboardists in the jazz genre.

Working with an unrehearsed quintet, Trotter explored mainly mainstream matter during his opening set. Buoyed by the hand-in-glove rhythm duo of John Guerin on drums (a longtime Trotter colleague) and Brian Bromberg on bass, Trotter played tunes like “Dear Old Stockholm,” “Oleo,” and “If You Could See Me Now” with a compelling authority and remarkable invention.

The very musical Trotter began “Stockholm” unaccompanied, mixing chords that hung like fog with sunny passages and complex dissonances, and in his solo, he balanced pretty passages with lines tinged with edge. He danced out ringing parallel octaves on the bossa nova, “Mimosa,” and tore up “Oleo,” where at breakneck tempo, he concocted one singing idea after another.

That Trotter invited saxman Kirk Whalum and synthesist David Garfield along proved that he is not yet sure of his direction as a leader, for the additional instrumentation tended to clutter, rather than enhance, the clear, crisp sound established by the trio. If Trotter wanted to play fusion, perhaps the larger group was needed.

Bromberg, playing mostly acoustic bass, soloed with abandon, though his exceptional facility resulted in more flash than meaning. Guerin kept everything in check with his tight-knit work.

Trotter has an obvious deep-seated affection for mainstream jazz, and he should take the challenge and step out front as a solo artist in this less popular genre.