Saxophonist McPherson to Make Rare Appearance

Saxophonist Charles McPherson plays locally only once or twice a year, so this week’s engagement at Elario’s may be your only chance to catch him here in 1990.

An internationally known alto man, he cites Prokofiev and other classical composers, along with Charlie Parker, as influences. McPherson has a solid following, though he hasn’t made an album of his own in years. Earlier this month, he played the Village Vanguard in New York with Cecil McBee on bass, John Hicks on piano and his son Chuck on drums. In September, he will be part of the Montreux Jazz Festival in Detroit, which is modeled after the famous festival in France.

This year has been one of renewed artistic energy for McPherson. From April through mid-June, he played sax on stage in the Old Globe Theatre’s production of “Lady Day at Emerson’s Bar & Grill,” a tribute to Billie Holiday. McPherson called the experience “interesting,” but said he has no desire to become an actor.

Since returning from his dates in New York, he has had a burst of inspiration.

“I’d say I’ve written five or six tunes in the last two weeks,” said McPherson, who plans to unveil several at Elario’s. One song captures “some of the night moods of New York,” and generally his new material is in a more “pensive and serene” mood than things he’s written in the past, he said.

McPherson still hopes to land a new recording contract, and talked with representatives from Blue Note while in New York. He hasn’t gotten a response yet.

At Elario’s through Sunday night, he’ll be joined by Chuck on drums, Jess Littleton (a regular with singer Nancy Wilson) on bass and Randy Porter on piano. San Diegan Gunnar Biggs will take over the bass chores Sunday night only.

In the past, local sax men Gary LeFebvre and Rod Cradit have used fairly literal references to Gerry Mulligan in their musical tributes to the master of baritone sax. For this Saturday night’s homage, beginning at 9 at Diego’s Loft in Pacific Beach, Cradit and LeFebvre will try to capture Mulligan’s spirit in a looser way, according to Cradit.

The melodic counterpoints Mulligan wove with trumpeter Chet Baker in the 1950s are jazz legend. Cradit will reprise Mulligan’s role on baritone, with LeFebvre concentrating on tenor. “We’ve reproduced Mulligan’s charts and solos before, so people have heard that stuff. This time we’re gonna play in his style, but we’ll do other tunes, and I’ll make up his kind of contrapuntal lines.”

Cradit relishes the opportunity to depart from his usual jazz work. For years, his bread and butter has been low-key “country club” gigs with his band the Cradit Union, with whom he plays everything from danceable swing tunes to Buddy Holly and even early Beatles. Last year, he became the clarinetist with the locally based South Market Street Jazz Band, a regular at traditional and Dixieland festivals across the country.

Yutaka Yokokura is one of the best among the deluge of young musicians recording for the incredibly successful New York-based label GRP. He appears Sunday afternoon from 1 to 3 for the second of Fashion Valley shopping center’s outdoor summer concert series. While some of the music is bland light jazz, Yutaka--as he prefers to be known--creates a subtle, enervating blend of American jazz, Brazilian rhythms and melodies and Asian undercurrents.

Yutaka sings and plays keyboards and koto, a Japanese string instrument. He came to the United States from his native Tokyo in 1972 to attend music school at Cal State Long Beach, and was a member of the group Hiroshima from 1975-78. Dave Grusin, one of GRP’s founders, produced Yutaka’s first album in 1978. Brazasia, his new album, acknowledges Yutaka’s longtime love for Brazilian music. Hints of Asia also come through via his jazzy work on koto.

Tenor sax man Kirk Whalum opened the Fashion Valley program July 8, and guitarist Grant Geissman will continue it Aug. 12, followed by “nouveau flamenco” guitarist Ottmar Liebert on Aug. 26.

RIFFS: Local jazz sax technician Jay Sleigh corrected a recent jazz review by this writer that referred to a sax’s sticky “valve.” Trumpets get sticky valves. Saxes get sluggish keys or sticky pads beneath them. What do slide trombones get?. . . .

Coral Thuet, the singer who loves Brazilian and Latin music, is working with guitarist Peter Sprague’s Brazilian group. Meanwhile, Sprague is on tap with his trio tonight at the Full Moon Cafe in Encinitas. . . .

San Diego flutist Lori Bell and her musical sidekick, pianist Dave Mackay, team up for an 8 p.m. show this Saturday at Words & Music in Hillcrest. Bell promises new material, plus songs from past recordings, including some of the excellent Brazilian-flavored stuff from their last album, “Take Me to Brazil.” . . .

Yet another strange-sounding but promising star in store on KSDS-FM’s (88.3) “Le Jazz Club” program this Sunday night at 7: pianist Nils Lan Doky, who has worked with Charlie Rouse, Thad Jones and Slide Hampton. Doky’s first solo album came out this year, featuring guests such as Randy Brecker and John Scofield. . . .

Seven-string guitarist Art Johnson plays next Tuesday’s “Jazz Live” concert in San Diego City College’s theater at C and 15th streets, simulcast on KSDS. . . .

This Sunday, Palomar College’s Jazz Ensemble plays its traditional outdoor summer concert in Escondido’s Kit Carson Park (3333 Bear Valley Parkway) at 7 p.m. . . .

Free Flight appears for this Sunday’s jazz brunch aboard the Entertainer, leaving from 1066 N. Harbor Drive at noon and 2:30 p.m. . . .

The Catalina Dixieland Jazz Jamboree is scheduled from noon to 9 p.m. July 28, with bands including the Yankee Wailers, Jazzin’ Babies, High Society, Monarch JB, Monrovia Old Style and the Note-Ables. More information is available by calling (213) 578-5511.