JAZZ REVIEW : Bradford and Ehrlich a Symbiotic Pair

The difficulty with many concerts featuring free jazz improvisation is that they seem to be more fun for the participants than the audience.

Monday night’s performance by the Bobby Bradford/Marty Ehrlich Special Project at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art managed, for the most part, to avoid the problem by scheduling relatively short, concise pieces on a not overly long program. Add to that the pleasant fact that cornetist Bradford, multi-reed man Ehrlich and bassist Ken Filiano came together with a uniquely symbiotic musical compatibility.

Bradford, best known for his associations with Ornette Coleman and John Carter, is a player with a creative range wide enough to warrant far more attention than he receives. His solos--particularly on a collection of the duo’s originals--touched everything from hard-bop runs to pointillistic bursts of abstract tones.

Ehrlich was equally effective, especially on bass clarinet and alto saxophone. A stalwart of New York City’s outdoor music scene, he ran the gamut of sounds--both traditional and non-traditional--on his various instruments without losing a sense of warmth and communication.

Although not billed as one of the headliners, bassist Filiano was a full-fledged participant in the proceedings. Several of his solos--for example the extended chorus on “Enter From the East”--were among the evening’s highlights.