JAZZ REVIEW : Veteran Musicians Wiggins, Simpkins Spice Up Maple Drive

Jazz in Beverly Hills has long been an oxymoron. Nevertheless, nestled in a residential area on Maple Drive at Alden, the Maple Drive Restaurant has been presenting, for the last three months, the superlative mainstream music of pianist Gerry Wiggins and bassist Andy Simpkins.

This large dining room and bar is not the quietest spot in town, but a seat reasonably close to the bandstand will assure a steady flow, from 7:30 until 11 p.m., of aural balm on a consistently high level.

Playing a first-rate Yamaha, Wiggins straddles the decades in his selections, showing respect for the melodies in his opening choruses before offering his own tasteful, non-radical variations. His touch for the most part is gentle, his time sense laid back; there is neither urgency nor complacency as he explores time-tested songs from “Lullaby of the Leaves” and “My Foolish Heart” to such blues-inflected works as Benny Goodman’s “Soft Winds” and the Ahmad Jamal perennial “Night Mist.”

Simpkins, who has spent much of the last decade on the road with Sarah Vaughan, has found his perfect niche as Wiggins’ full partner in this compact unit, which displays his rhythm and solo propensities to optimum effect. He picked up his bow just once, for the theme from “On the Beach,” but every pizzicato solo was marked by his full sound, flawless intonation and creative melodic sense.

Because Wiggins and Simpkins between them must know at least a thousand songs, there’s a sense of unpredictability in every set. Decisions on what to play are made on the spur of the moment. It would be impossible to hear the same performance twice if you caught this duo at every performance for a month--which, by the way, would be a splendid way to spend a month. They will remain here indefinitely from Wednesdays through Saturdays.