JAZZ REVIEW : Bobby Shew Soars: Big Sounds in Sunset

It hasn’t been easy to keep track of trumpeter Bobby Shew. He’s spent a lot of his career hidden in Los Angeles recording studios, Las Vegas showrooms or in the big bands of Toshiko Akiyoshi, Louie Bellson and others. By his own accounting, it has been seven years since he last led a group of his own in Southern California.

That particular drought ended Friday as the sophisticated trumpeter opened a new outdoor summer jazz series, sponsored by public radio station KLON-FM and the Hyatt Newporter, with a program that balanced tunes from Shew’s be-bop influences with more contemporary compositions.

Accompanied by the responsive team of saxophonist/flutist Gerald Pinter, bassist Darek Oles, drummer Paul Kreibich and pianist Scott Tibbs, Shew split his time between trumpet and fluegelhorn, getting a big, personal sound from each, stirring up a symbiotic mix of feeling and technique that was as satisfying as it was sweet.

The quintet opened with an up-tempo “Friends Again,” saxophonist Lanny Morgan’s arrangement of the standard “Just Friends.” Shew warmed to the evening’s cool breezes, stringing together melodic runs, turning a bluesy phrase, then warbling in the upper register. Pinter displayed an active, airy way with the tenor, packing his solo with fleet lines and an understated intensity.

The trumpeter made his best tonal statements on fluegelhorn, playing warmly but with clarity on a relaxed version of Elmo Hope’s “So Nice,” filling a tune called “Breakfast Wine” with pops, squirts and gliding high notes.

And, of course, Shew pulled out the “Shewhorn,” the two-belled trumpet that bears his name. Careful not to overindulge its novelty quality, he used it only on Thelonious Monk’s “Epistrophy,” one bell open, one muted, contrasting the two tones in the same line, sometimes with startling effect. Monk’s well-known theme, played in a reserved muffled style, would end with a surprisingly bright open note. This unexpected mix of sounds raised chuckles from the audience.

To his credit, Shew matched be-bop numbers such as Kenny Dorham’s “Whistle Stop” with recent works from young writers such as Tibbs and others with whom the trumpeter has worked. From keyboardist Bill Mays, who’s been a member of Shew’s bands on and off over the years, came “Surprise Samba,” a swaying rhythmic outing that featured a smooth unison statement from Shew on fluegel and Pinter on flute.

Tibbs is a promising soloist and songwriter. His agile intro and solo on “Echoes” recalled a bit of McCoy Tyner’s attack with its urgent theme-and-variation approach. His new, untitled piece, with a soulful head reminiscent of Horace Silver’s work, gave Pinter a chance to show a round, golden sound on soprano sax while Shew worked the top floors of his trumpet. Reserved yet solid support came from bassist Oles while Kreibich, never one to be content with simple timekeeping, accented the soloists, turned corners with invention and generally kept things popping.

The evening’s second set was broadcast live over KLON. The series continues next week with flutist/saxophonist Buddy Collette.