JAZZ REVIEW : Daniels, Burton Revive Swing Era

Reviving the 50-year-old music of Benny Goodman and Lionel Hampton might sound like a study in Golden Oldies. But clarinetist Eddie Daniels and vibraphonist Gary Burton had a more contemporary perspective in mind Thursday night at Pasadena’s Ambassador Auditorium.

Fresh from the same-day completion of a recording devoted to works associated with Goodman, the duo (backed by pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Marc Johnson and drummer Peter Erskine) sprinted through a program that was as colorful as it was dynamic. The repertoire included Swing Era hits--”Sing, Sing, Sing,” “Air Mail Special”--as well as the pre-swing “Knockin’ On Wood” (actually from a Jimmy Dorsey outing) and Bix Beiderbecke’s classic “In a Mist” (originally performed by Goodman on bass clarinet!).

Daniels made a convincing claim for the Goodman clarinet mantle. His solo work on such pieces as “Moonglow,” “Memories of You” and, especially, the closing “Grand Slam” were ferociously energetic. Phrasing with powerful contemporary rhythmic accents, he nonetheless found creative correlations with the Goodman style.

Burton, despite his determined inventiveness, made few connections with Lionel Hampton. A busy player, whose technique sometimes leaves too little room for light and air to break through, he was at his best with a jaunty, dance-like solo on “Air Mail Special.”

Pianist Miller’s crisp, bebop ruminations provided attractive contrast, even though they had no particular identification with the Goodman-Hampton pianist, Teddy Wilson. And the rhythm team of Johnson and Erskine was appropriately hard swinging and enthusiastic.