JAZZ / DIRK SUTRO : Miles Behind Him, Akagi Is Ready to Find a Groove

Miles Davis is legendary for finding hot young musicians. The list of his past associates reads like a Who’s Who of jazz: Herbie Hancock, Wayne Shorter, John McLaughlin, Tony Williams, Joe Zawinul, Marcus Miller, Al Foster and Chick Corea.

One of the latest to answer the master’s call is Los Angeles piano and keyboard player Kei Akagi, who appears at Diego’s Loft in Pacific Beach at 8 p.m. Sunday. The date will be a reunion between Akagi and San Diego saxophonist Gary Lefebvre, who first played together in the late 1970s.

Although Akagi has worked with Airto Moreira and Flora Purim, Joe Farrell, Al Di Meola, Art Pepper, Freddie Hubbard and Blue Mitchell, among many others, the 3 1/2 months he just spent on the road with Davis made a unique impression.

“On solos, Miles lets you play what you want,” Akagi said. “If he doesn’t like it, he’ll let you know. For example, I’m a pianist, and he told me not to use my left hand. That’s something he’s been telling keyboard players over the years, dating back to Herbie Hancock.

“He wants something more linear, a certain relationship between lines and chords. I’m paying more attention to the contour of the phrases, the use of space between phrases. Miles is a master at that.”

In Los Angeles, Akagi regularly plays a variety of clubs in different bands, including his five-piece electric quintet. He hopes the increased attention received through his association with Davis will help the group land a recording contract soon.

Lefebvre and Akagi will be backed by San Diegans Chris Conner on bass and Duncan Moore on drums.

The brothers Branford and Wynton Marsalis have evolved from child prodigies to mature jazz voices. Trumpeter Wynton, the

older and better-known of the two, has stayed with pure acoustic jazz while many of his contemporaries are playing lighter, electric music that has a broader commercial appeal.

Saxophonist Branford, who does 7 and 10 p.m. shows at UC San Diego’s Mandeville Auditorium on Wednesday, has also remained true to the roots of jazz. His newest album, “Trio Jeepy,” is mostly a collaboration with 79-year-old bass player Milt Hinton. A backdrop usually consisting only of Hinton and a drummer makes a perfect canvas for Marsalis’ lengthy improvisations.

Marsalis, 29, studied at the Berklee School of music and remains a devout student of jazz history. His playing includes the obligatory fragments of Charlie Parker’s be-bop and John Coltrane’s chordal “sheets of sound,” along with more obscure borrowings such as the full, smooth sound of tenor man Chu Berry. All of this is tempered by Marsalis’ personal approach, academic enough to stand up to close scrutiny, emotional enough to move you, and always with swing.

After a couple of years of recording and touring with rock star Sting, he’s back to jazz with a lineup his manager says is Marsalis’ “dream band”: pianist Kenny Kirkland, drummer Jeff “Tain” Watts and bassist Bob Hurst.

Their San Diego appearance kicks off a school-year season of jazz at UCSD that continues Oct. 22 with the free UCSD Jazz Festival.

The musical movement known as “New Songs” developed in the 1940s and ‘50s as a form of political expression in repressed South American countries such as Nicaragua and Chile. Mixing Latin, African, jazz, symphonic and folk influences, it’s a spicy blend with a message. The music of Luis Godoy and Grupo Mancotal has helped New Songs enjoy a revival in Nicaragua since the oppressive Somoza government was overthrown in 1979. On Saturday, the group plays at 8 p.m. at Marston Middle School, 3799 Clairemont Drive, San Diego.

Singer Ayanna Hobson-Carlisi could be a gem in the rough, but her raw talent doesn’t reach full polish on her self-produced new album, “I Wish For Love.”

Hobson-Carlisi wrote six songs. Two are pearls by others: Thelonious Monk’s “ ‘Round Midnight” and John Coltrane’s “Afro Blue.”

All told, the music doesn’t quite catch fire, and the album comes off as a competent warm-up, the product of a young musician still feeling her way to a personal style.

Dynamically, there isn’t enough variety--in tempo, volume or mood. Hobson-Carlisi’s compositions tend toward an ethereal, dreamy state, as do the two classics. A couple of more up-tempo numbers could have helped.

Sometimes, especially in the higher registers, the singer seems unsure of herself, reaching for a note tentatively instead of nailing it exactly. Because of these near-misses, various musical progressions don’t reach their full potential, leaving the listener somewhat frustrated.

Hobson-Carlisi is backed by an excellent rhythm section, especially Rob Thorsen on bass and Scott Moore on piano. The album is available in local music stores.

RIFFS: Croce’s, downtown in the Gaslamp Quarter, features saxophonist Daniel Jackson on Friday and the a cappella group Pieces on Saturday, during the 5:30 to 8:30 evening shift.