Jazz Reviews : Articulate Improvisation From Sid Jacobs

Mainstream jazz--the postwar be-bop variety--seems to be proliferating in the night life of Glendale and Pasadena. The playing of guitarist Sid Jacobs, who performs Friday nights in the pleasantly gregarious environment of Pasadena’s Dodsworth Bar & Grill, is one of the latest entries.

A veteran of the Las Vegas show band circuit, Jacobs is also a highly articulate improviser whose lean and angular extemporaneous work owes an obvious debt to the music of Jim Hall and Wes Montgomery. Last week, working with pianist Drew Salperto and bassist Ken Filiano, Jacobs played with enough energy and fire to hold the attention of an overflow TGIF crowd.

Jacobs’ single-string solos were particularly effective on such standard jazz fare as “Bloomdido,” “I’ll Remember April” and “Invitation.” Never at a loss for a new phrase, his improvisations seemed to unfold with the ever-changing fascination of a set of Bach variations. And, despite the fact that Salperto was a last-minute substitute with the trio, his crisp be-bop articulation and long, arching solo lines provided the perfect musical counter to Jacobs’ style.