JAZZ REVIEW : Branford Marsalis Improvises at Center : The saxophonist’s responsive quartet gave fresh treatments to a number of familiar tunes.

Branford Marsalis can’t leave well enough alone.

The saxophonist’s appearance Thursday at the Orange County Performing Arts Center opened with a version of “Cheek to Cheek” that would have made Irving Berlin’s lips pucker. Marsalis twisted the familiar theme in ways that made it almost unrecognizable, rushing the melody here, falling behind there, and sometimes ignoring it completely.

Even tunes previously recorded by the quartet--which includes pianist Kenny Kirkland, bassist Robert Hurst and drummer Jeff (Tain) Watts--were given fresh rhythmic and thematic treatments. Keith Jarrett’s “Rose Petals,” heard on Marsalis’ recent recording “Crazy People Music,” became a lush, sultry ballad shaded by Watts’ gentle mallet work. Marsalis’ own “Mr. Steepee,” the kind of up-tempo workout John Coltrane might have penned for himself, had the saxophonist stringing together rollicking tenor lines with barely a pause. Kirkland added spunky, block-chord accompaniment before laying out to let the saxophonist and Watts battle it out as a duo.

Like Sonny Rollins, Marsalis is adept at making meaningful statements without leaving the middle register of his instrument. He packed tenor solos with flowing lines while seldom resorting to the high-end wailing that so many saxophonists use to express emotion. Though apparently plagued by a squeaky reed in the early going, Marsalis’ tone was warm, ripe and rich with breath. His soprano sound still owes something to Wayne Shorter, but his inventive excursions showed he’s definitely his own man.

Despite their leader’s almost athletic ability, Watts and Kirkland proved to be the evening’s most satisfying improvisationists. The drummer coaxed almost-melodic passages from his modest kit, matching storms of bass and tom-tom rolls with delicate snare and cymbal play. Kirkland’s more considered approach mixed blistering runs with sweeping block-chord statements and moments of sweet melodic beauty. It was Kirkland’s lyrical approach that put romance in “Cheek to Cheek.”

Hurt by a mix that left his tone a bit muddied, bassist Hurst took the spotlight on Marsalis’ bluesy “Housed From Edward” (renamed here to honor Watts’ and Kirkland’s mothers, who were in the audience), setting a deliberate pace that he spiked with deep-seated plucks and gut-bucket snap. The tune’s minimalist qualities made the quartet’s responsiveness especially apparent, with Kirkland answering Marsalis’ one-liners with tidbits of Thelonious Monk and, at one point, the theme from “The Twilight Zone.” Despite the group’s relaxed, practically playful stage presence, their ensemble play was tighter than Scrooge at Christmas.

One surprise was the inclusion of “Cold Duck,” an R&B-influenced; number that Les McCann and Eddie Harris recorded some 20 years ago (and one that Marsalis’ purist brother Wynton would probably never touch). The danceable, rhythmic romp, anchored by Marsalis’ deep, repetitive tenor theme and Kirkland’s soulful chording, brought an enthusiastic ovation from the crowd of 2,564 in paid attendance.

Calls from the audience for Bill Lee’s “Mo’ Better Blues” were met with laughs from the band and an explanation that it was done only for the recent Spike Lee movie. “We don’t know it no mo’,” Marsalis joked. “We played it, they paid us and we left.”

Marsalis’ quartet was also scheduled to appear Friday at UCLA’s Royce Hall and will perform Sunday at the Wadsworth Theatre.