JAZZ REVIEW : Talbert’s Sounds a Balm to the Ear

Entering Linda’s on Melrose Avenue during the first Saturday afternoon of each month is like stepping into a time tunnel. Tom Talbert, the composer and pianist who has been leading his septet on these monthly gigs since November, 1988, writes with the values of 1950s West Coast sounds in mind.

At the first session this month, the band seemed a little stiff, particularly in the rhythm section, which was almost metronomically sluggish on the slow tunes. The problem could have been that three of the seven men, including the drummer and bassist, were subbing for the regular musicians.

Whether the music he composed and arranged was written 35 years ago or last week, it all reflect Talbert’s personality: conservative in harmonic ideas, aiming now and then at a small-band, Count Basie mood (“Cute,” “Corner Pocket,” “She’s Just My Size”).

The charts provide a showcase for four capable horns. Outstanding was the former Basie trumpeter and fluegelhornist, Bob Summers, well framed in Talbert’s “Month of Sundays.” Charlie Loper’s trombone also had moments of inspiration.

The band came closest to swinging on “Samba de Orfeu,” starting with a melodic statement by Lee Callet’s baritone sax, followed by Don Shelton’s buoyant alto; and on an original work called “Innuendo,” launched with an agreeable two-beat pulse.

If Talbert’s interpretations are hardly models of experimentation, it might be reason that in a time when so much quasi-jazz is a shock to the system, it is not unpleasant to find a group that is at least balm to the ear. The septet will return May 5.