Pop and Jazz Reviews : Smith Takes Impressive Journey to Jazz

Steve Smith may be best known for playing rock with Journey, but his jazz credentials also are impeccable. The group he brought to Catalina Bar & Grill on Tuesday night--guitarist Frank Gambale, keyboardist Tom Coster and bassist Jeff Andrews--was a first-rate collection of musicians who triggered Smith into an exhibition of superlative drumming.

Smith, who continues at the club through Sunday, allocated plenty of solo space to his associates. Gambale--who has been known to overwhelm his improvisations with electronic clutter--took a laid-back stance, spinning a series of beautifully articulate, hard-swinging choruses. Coster was, as always, energetic and probing. An occasional tendency to rely on too-repetitious eighth-notes, especially during a reading of “I Should Care,” was the only flaw in his performance.

The real surprise, however, was the work of Andrews who, unlike Coster and Gambale, has not been a regular with Smith’s recording group, Vital Information.

Andrews’ versatility in ranging from straight-ahead, walking-bass lines to funk-driven solos brought increased vigor and creativity to an already effective ensemble.

At the center of the music, Smith was a whirlwind of activity.

Capable of generating tumultuous masses of sound, he also demonstrated--on pieces like “We Be Jamming” and “(What Lies) Beyond”--a sensitivity for multi-shaded percussion timbres.