Sax Player Hopes to Get His Thoughts on Record

In Milwaukee, alto saxman Ray Rideout enjoyed a reputation as a top local player. Since moving to San Diego a year ago, he has kept a low profile, but this Sunday afternoon he steps out on his own for the first time for a concert at Ozzie’s Music in Poway.

Rideout, 45, is a devotee of the straight-ahead jazz of the 1950s and 1960s--especially fellow saxmen John Coltrane and Jackie McLean--but he has also experimented with electronic computer music.

A few weeks ago, Rideout sat in with a trio fronted by pianist Alfredo Cardim at Chang’s in the Golden Triangle, and the group hit it off. Management decided a horn was too loud for the small restaurant, but Rideout sat in again with Cardim, drummer Barry Farrar Jr. and bassist Hank Dobbs at the U.S. Grant Hotel. And now, they’re backing Rideout’s first local foray as a front man.

Rideout’s first year in San Diego was a tough one. After taking a job as a word processor, he developed carpal tunnel syndrome in his wrists, and is only now emerging from several surgeries and physical therapy--luckily, he never had to stop playing sax.

Some saxophonists are obsessed with their tone, a product of both technique and equipment. Rideout is one of them. During the late 1970s, when he was student-teaching a music class while studying computer science and music composition at the University of Iowa, he picked up a tip from an 18-year-old pupil with an “incredible” sax sound.

“I took a look at the way he was doing things--folding his lower lip over, using a certain mouthpiece,” he said. “Then I took a lesson from (saxophonist) Lee Konitz in Milwaukee, and he turned me on to these plastic reeds, which changed my whole sound around. They’re very alive yet very consistent. You can play the same reed for a year or two.”

After playing professionally for years without recording, Rideout now plans to embark with a vengeance upon landing a recording deal--either for his straight-ahead jazz music or for the lighter, spacier jazz he generates at home on his computer setup.

“I may come out with something that shows up--like Paul Horn’s recordings--in metaphysical or new-age bookstores. I’d just like to get my music out there,” Rideout said. “I’ve been playing for 25 years and my music’s just been going out into the air. I’d like to get something down on vinyl, tape or CD.”

Rideout appears at Ozzie’s (12222 Poway Road) this Sunday from 2 to 3 p.m. For this outing, Rideout is concentrating on straight-ahead jazz. His free concert will include several of his favorite standards: “In Your Own Sweet Way,” “Blue and Gray,” “Invitation,” “You Don’t Know What Love Is” and probably a Brazilian tune or two.

Longtime collaborators Lori Bell and Dave Mackay team up tonight at 8 for the “Jazz Live” concert at San Diego City College Theatre.

The two have been shopping around a light jazz demo they recorded in late 1989--it airs on the Sunday night “San Diego Spotlight” program on KIFM (98.1). Their last album together was the 1989 “Take Me to Brazil,” an appealing mix of Bell’s lyrical, lilting flute and Mackay’s sparkling piano, with vocals by Mackay and his wife, Melissa.

In addition, Mackay has released a new recording titled “Windows,” named for the Chick Corea song. The album is the first from the new MAMA label in Los Angeles, founded by Gene Cerwinsky, president of Cerwin Vega, an audio equipment company. Joined by bassist Andy Simpkins and drummer Ralph Penland, Mackay works his way through a list of standards, including “Some Time Ago,” “Along Came Betty” and “Thanks for the Memories.”

Tonight’s concerts will feature material from Bell and Mackay’s two recordings together, plus tunes from Mackay’s new CD. They’ll be joined by bassist Hank Dobbs and Fattburger drummer Kevin Koch.

The Horton Grand Hotel has steadily upgraded its jazz offerings in recent months, with performances by nationally known acts such as the trumpet-toting Condoli brothers and guitarist Kenny Burrell. Vocal music had been noticeably lacking until the appearance last month by Los Angeles singer Lorez Alexandria. And in a follow-up this Friday night, the hotel’s Palace Bar will be host to San Diego vocalist Cath Eckert.

Sharing the bill with Eckert will be “Tonight” show trombonist Bruce Paulson. Eckert and Paulson are old friends, but this will be their first time playing together. Sets will mix some of Paulson’s original tunes with several standards showcasing Eckert’s vocals. Rounding out the band will be bassist Chris Conner, pianist John Opferkuch and drummer Tim McMahon.

You can also catch Eckert in a duo with Opferkuch on Fridays this month (except this Friday) at WD’s on 5th Avenue, at Olive Street.

RIFFS: Fattburger plays the Catamaran’s “Jazz Nite” this Wednesday at 8. . . .

Trombonist Michael Davis plays Elario’s Wednesday night. Davis joins a host of well-known players on his new album, “Heroes,” including members of the Yellowjackets and clarinetist Eddie Daniels--none of whom will be on hand at Elario’s. . . .

Freeflight, a vehicle for the unlikely musical marriage of onetime L.A. Philharmonic flutist Jim Walker and former David Bowie keyboardist Mike Garson, plays Elario’s on Thursday and Friday nights. . . .

Vocalist Loren Belker and others re-create the big-band era with a show called “The Big Broadcast of 1947” tonight at 6:30 at San Luis Rey Downs Country Club in Bonsall. . . .

Los Angeles fluegelhorn player Tony Guerrero, a regular KIFM (98.1) fixture, closes out the six-week jazz series at the Coronado Ferry Landing Saturday afternoon from 4 to 6 p.m.

CRITIC’S CHOICE: A BRASS AND PERCUSSION

The Dirty Dozen Brass Band’s music is a piquant brew of brass and percussion, with roots in the marching band traditions of New Orleans. The band is popular among both musicians and music fans. Its 1990 recording, “The New Orleans Album,” has sold about 50,000 to date, and they’ve collaborated with an unlikely cast of players ranging from Dizzy Gillespie to Elvis Costello. A new album is due late this year or early next. Meanwhile, you can hear the Dozen at the Belly Up Tavern in Solana Beach on Wednesday night at 9.