FESTIVAL ’90 : JAZZ REVIEW / L.A. FESTIVAL : Carter Compositions Featured

John Carter’s appearance Thursday at the Japan America Theatre, his first since having a lung removed earlier this year, put the spotlight squarely on his compositional skills.

Though his clarinet was an integral in presenting “Castles of Ghana,” his impressionistic suite inspired by the slave trade in 16th-Century West Africa, Carter seemed content to turn over most of the improvisational duties to other members of the octet.

His only solo of any consequence came on “Capture,” the fourth of the six-part piece. The clarinetist, still able to play with speed and grace, stuck mostly to the middle register, foregoing the blistering high-end he employed on the version recorded in 1986. But the nearly minute-long warbling line he sustained at the beginning of the title piece, achieved through a technique known as rotary breathing, brought a warm round of applause from the audience.

The involved, often emotional composition ranged across a variety of moods and rhythms. The respectful meditative drone of “Evening Prayer,” gave way to an involved dialogue between the horns and drummer William Jeffries in “Conversations.”

On “Capture,” cornetist Bobby Bradford mixed sweeping lines with pointed flurries while soprano saxophonist Charles Owens’ Coltrane-influenced outing was packed with character. Also making contributions were bass clarinetist Vinny Golia, trombonist Thurman Green, trumpeter Oscar Brashear and bassist Roberto Miguel Miranda.

The program opened with the XTET chamber ensemble presenting works from six members of the Los Angeles-based Independent Composers Assn. Standouts included Donald Davis’ “Bleak,” with its finely calculated dynamics and furious unison lines, and David Ocker’s “Pride and Foolishness.”

Accordionist Jim Nightengale’s unaccompanied set of loosely structured pieces, sounding more like Philip Glass than Myron Floren, held tonal attractions but were without much rhythmic interest.