Jazz Reviews : Bennie Wallace’s Remembrance of Things Past

Tenor saxophonist Bennie Wallace’s Friday night set at System M in Long Beach had a feeling of ‘60s deja vu. Working with four local musicians, Wallace performed from an elevated loft in a room vibrant with the hot colors of abstract paintings and the aroma of fresh espresso. Add the iconoclastic sounds of the group’s avant-garde jazz and the evening had the distinct feeling of Bleeker Street, circa 1968.

There were differences, of course. Few of the Bleeker Street music hangouts had either the high-tech decorating touches or the sparkling neatness of System M. Nor was the music of Wallace, saxophonist Vinnie Golia, pianist Wayne Peet, bassist Trevor Ware and guitarist Ken Rosser quite as determinedly radical as the more adventurous sounds of the ‘60s.

Peet, who was responsible for most of the compositions, writes music that is acutely introspective and sometimes burdened with titles like “Exquisite Sadness Equals Happiness.” Despite his ability to create attractively dissonant harmonies, the high points of the performance were generated by the improvisations, and by Wallace’s improvisations in particular.

His solos were virtual mini- histories of the saxophone. A big, resonant low register recalled the gutsiness of Coleman Hawkins and Ben Webster; disjunct intervals and offbeat rhythms were strikingly reminiscent of Eric Dolphy. And coloring all his work was the sound and rhythm of Sonny Rollins.

Familiar references aside, however, Wallace brought his music together with a distinctly original touch. His playing on the program’s only blues number surged forward with the undeniable persistence of a runaway locomotive. Equally striking was his impassioned musical preaching on a Peet arrangement of a traditional gospel hymn.

Of the other players, only Golia came close to matching Wallace’s intensity, while Rosser and Ware’s contributions were distorted by a sound mix that pushed their playing too far into the front of the music.