THE POP WEEKEND : JAZZ REVIEW : Larry Carlton Comes Back Sounding as Good as New

Larry Carlton deserves admiration for his work with HIP (Helping Innocent People), the group he helped found that assists victims of violent crime. He has earned respect for the long and painful rehabilitation he endured so that he could take up the guitar again after being shot in the throat during an attack last year.

So it is comforting to be able to report that Carlton plays as good as new. There’s little discernible difference between his smooth and agile way with the guitar now and his playing of a couple of years ago, something that should make his many fans happy.

Carlton’s opening set Friday at the Coach House, the first show in what will be a long summer of touring for him, was a mix of new tunes from his latest album, “On Solid Ground,” and more familiar Carlton standbys. But the guitarist allowed himself little room to be inventive and even less for his supporting band members to strut their stuff.

His opener, “Bubble Shuffle,” a rocker with a splash of funk, featured Carlton’s clean electric tones and spare emphatic lines. But the tune was over all too quickly, with little in the way of a solo from Carlton other than some line embellishments. Despite keyboardist Terry Trotter’s solid accompaniment, it was apparent early on that he was there just to chart the chord changes and little else.

Carlton recalled his tenure with Steely Dan on “Josie,” a tune that’s melody vaguely suggests “Ode to Billy Joe.” Again the guitarist moved easily through the number in the competent and relaxed style he is known for but took little time to demonstrate just what he is capable of.

He showed more a rock ‘n’ roll sense of the dramatic, using little other than dynamics to develop his ideas. “The Waffer,” another tune from the new album, found Carlton in a bluesy mood, bending notes into twisted phrases, extending the tones from his guitar into cries, though still without taking the time to develop them into an emotional statement.

For “Hello Tomorrow,” Carlton switched to acoustic guitar, matching saxophonist Albert Wing’s soulful ways with some sensuous chording. The best opportunity to hear what Wing and keyboardist Trotter could do came when Carlton turned them loose on “Cherokee” while he was waiting for an accompanying tape to be synced. Both showed empathy and inventive, rhythmic ways with the old standard before disappearing again into the background. And maybe that was the problem with the guitarist’s program: the material. Most of the tunes were 3-minute wonders, over before the musicians had a chance to explore them, the kind of stuff that serves well as mood music for tanning or washing the car. Only on blues-based tunes did Carlton take the time to develop his ideas, showing delicate phrasing.

The best crowd response came from “Room 335,” with the guitarist trading some chicken-scratch lines with Wing while drummer John Ferraro took an itch to his cymbals. Carlton came back to do an encore of “Layla,” putting his own slow hand to the familiar number but adding little to Clapton’s original recording.

It’s great to see that Carlton is back and know that he has plenty to say about his experiences. Now if he would just take the time to let it come out in his music. Another chorus of “Cherokee” anyone?