Heath Proves He’s No Longer Just Imitation of Best

They used to call him “Little Bird” for his emulations of Charlie Parker, but these days, “The Professor” would be a more appropriate tag for saxophonist Jimmy Heath. Opening two weeks at Elario’s Wednesday night, Heath blew a veritable lecture on jazz, applying his precise, cerebral technique to a variety of standards and original compositions.

Heath, 63, proved once again that he’s moved far beyond his 1940s alto sax work that was so reminiscent of Parker, as well as his 1950s flirtation with a big John Coltrane-like tenor sound. Since then, Heath has grown into a technical master with a light, subtle tenor tone all his own. Over the years, he has added flute and soprano sax to his repertoire, and he handles both with finesse.

At Elario’s, Heath has a top-flight rhythm section. Pianist Rob Schneiderman is a former San Diegan who now lives in New York and teaches with Heath at the Aaron Copland School of Music at Queens College. He has an inventive, cerebral approach that works well with Heath’s own brainy musings.

San Diego bassist Bob Magnusson is as good as the best in the world. And drummer John Guerin, a veteran Los Angeles studio musician, drives the quartet with a relentless attack.

Heath opened Wednesday night’s first set with “Sleeves,” his own composition, and followed with the sensuous “On Green Dolphin Street.” Guerin, however, while possessed of incredible skills, was at times overbearing. His loud rolls, bass drum kicks and frequent cymbal crashes sometimes undercut the subtle improvisations produced by Schneiderman and Heath.

Switching to flute, Heath continued with a tune titled “Old Folks.” On flute as on sax, he generally doesn’t grab you right away because he doesn’t play with exaggerated emotion. Soon, however, you find yourself delighting in the harmonic complexity of his ideas, a stream of carefully chosen notes produced with unerring precision.

On “Old Folks,” as on many other tunes, Schneiderman turned in a fine solo, mixing subtle chord variations with slow and sensuous right-hand melodies.

Guerin found his calling on J.J. Johnson’s “Wee-Dot,” a speed-burner perfectly suited to his powerful drumming. Before long, Heath grinned as the barely rehearsed band began to gel on stage. The set closed with Heath back on tenor for “Soul Eyes,” the Mel Waldron song made famous by Coltrane, and “Fungi Mama,” with a calypso beat around which Heath wove the melody.

All told, the set was a winner, especially for an opening night. Even greater things are undoubtedly in store, especially if Guerin holds back a little.

Heath appears nightly through Sunday this week, and Wednesday through Sunday nights next week. Sherman Ferguson replaces Guerin on drums next week.