JAZZ REVIEW : Leitham Adds Vigor to Old Standards

Credit John Leitham with emphasizing the essentials of the jazz bass: a big, throbbing sound, a dandy sense of time and the savvy to fit with a drummer so that things get right up and swing.

Leading a trio Thursday night at Chadney’s in Burbank, Leitham and drummer Denny Siewell meshed together like two chatty old friends convivially and animatedly chewing the fat, offering a support system that made it all but impossible for pianist/reedman Tom Ranier to do anything but groove.

The band worked mainstream ground we’ve all heard before--”Star Eyes,” “I’m Old Fashioned” and “Alone Together” were three of the selections during the second set. But Ranier’s ability to switch between tenor sax, clarinet and piano with musical authenticity coupled with his partners’ rhythmic propensity made these warhorses sound fresh and vigorous.

Ranier delivered soft, smooth tones during his tenor sax gallop over “Billie’s Bounce,” revealing a remarkable fluency for a man who is primarily a keyboardist, then sat at the piano and tackled “Star Eyes.” This began in a Latin mode then segued to straight swing feel, and Ranier mixed rat-a-tat-a-tat single note bursts and open, relaxed ideas with denser, more complex statements and a series of locked-hands chords that really had stuff.

The pianist’s “Harpo” was the lone original of the performance, and had the playful, lilting quality that one associates with its subject, Harpo Marx.

Leitham soloed with vitality on several tunes, and bowed the sentimental line of “A Time for Love.” Siewell shared the spotlight briefly, exhibiting the same good taste that marked his accompaniments.

Chadney’s now offers a five-night-a-week jazz policy. Singer Diane Varga, backed by trumpeter Buddy Childers, closes tonight; guitarist Doug MacDonald is in each Tuesday; vocalists Polly Podewell and Jimmy Spencer work next Wednesday and Thursday, and pianist/singer Yve Evans handles the weekend. The room charges no cover and entertainment begins at 9 p.m.