JAZZ REVIEW : Sax Man McPherson Brings Opening Night to Life

Saxophonist Charles McPherson kicked a sputtering rhythm section to life and turned in a solid opening-night performance last week at Elario’s.

McPherson, the San Diego alto man raised on be-bop, is fronting a crew of locals, including special guest Peter Sprague on guitar, through Sunday.

The opening set last Wednesday included several smoking Charlie Parker standards, plus a couple of slow tunes and a new piece by McPherson.

In search of perfection, the sax man strolled into the audience several times to check the sound. That gave Sprague, who first recorded with McPherson more than 10 years ago, plenty of room to shine. And shine he did, unleashing a barrage of licks that showed his increasing maturity.

Sprague was more than up to the fast bop paces McPherson put the band through on several tunes. McPherson lit into Charlie Parker’s “Bloomdido,” and he quickly displayed the solid tone he recently described as “a compact sound with a good core, with a little bit of buzz around it.” It cuts like a knife, even with its warm and fuzzy edges.

The rhythm section of Gunnar Biggs on bass, Randy Porter on piano and Charles McPherson Jr. on drums had trouble finding the groove on the Latin-flavored “Tangerine.” Papa McPherson showed lightning speed and musical inventiveness as he turned out long lines of extemporaneous melody, but the inconsistent rhythmic undercurrents dragged things down.

McPherson had promised to debut new material, and, with a wry smile, soon introduced “Delusions, Contusions, Confusions, Illusions and Blue.”

If this is indicative of the direction his work is taking, McPherson should have a new recording contract soon. The sweet, slow number unfolded gracefully, McPherson restating the musical theme each time in a slightly higher key, punctuating the calm with occasional funky honks. The haunting mood was reminiscent of saxophonist Wayne Shorter’s mid-’60s work.

McPherson seems to have succeeded where others have failed, writing music that could reach a broad audience without dipping into bubble gum territory.

With “Confirmation,” another Parker tune, the band started to hit its stride. An especially nice section came with Sprague soloing as McPherson and Biggs doubled up on background harmonies.

Sprague eased into the standard “Polka Dots and Moonbeams” by himself, softly finger-picking the melody and chords. As the rhythm section faded in, it became obvious that Porter seems most comfortable with these slow ballads.