Lorber Comes Out of the Studio to Play Jazz With Bromberg

Jeff Lorber doesn’t get out to play much anymore.

The keyboardist/composer/producer--who via his recordings and live performances introduced saxophonist Kenny G and singer Karyn White to the world--spends most of his time in the studio these days, producing tracks for such artists as White, singer Michael Franks and saxophonists Dave Koz and Art Porter.

And that’s a shame because Lorber’s “a great player,” says bassist Brian Bromberg, with whom Lorber will appear tonight at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano and Wednesday at the Strand in Redondo Beach.

“He knows how to swing, and he knows how to groove. He can be very funky, which is why he’s been involved with so much R&B;,” Bromberg said, referring to Lorber’s work remixing 12-inch dance tracks by such pop groups as U2, the New Edition and the Fine Young Cannibals.

Lorber, meanwhile, admitted that he has missed working in front of an audience. “It’s so inspiring and energizing,” he said.

So when Bromberg, with whom Lorber had performed and recorded, called with the idea of a brief California tour, Lorber immediately answered yes.

Actually, Lorber said there were other reasons, too.

One was his own high regard for Bromberg, “an awesome player, a musician who can really be exciting,” as Lorber put it on the phone from his home in Pacific Palisades.

Beyond that, there was the matter of musical affinity. “Because we have a lot of the same influences, we both like electric and acoustic music,” Lorber said. Together with saxophonist Porter and drummer Joel Taylor, they will play a mix of acoustic, traditional jazz and electric, contemporary pieces.

Bromberg, 34, has solid acoustic credentials. Indeed, his latest Nova album, “It’s About Time,” is an all-acoustic date that features trumpeter Freddie Hubbard and saxophonists Ernie Watts and Doug Webb. (Bromberg also has played with Stan Getz and Horace Silver).

Lorber, 39, is less known for his non-plugged-in efforts, having made a name for himself in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s with the Jeff Lorber Fusion band, a group that included Koz and Kenny G (back when he still was known as Kenny Gorelick). But Lorber notes that even though all his albums have been electric (including his most recent, “Private Passion” on Warner Bros.), he still has leanings toward acoustic directions.

“I’ve been playing piano since I was 4,” he said. “It’s a wonderful instrument; as time goes on, I develop more of an appreciation for it. There’s no way an electric instrument can get close to the subtlety you can express on a piano. And it has a certain set of sounds you can’t get anywhere else.”

In fact, he said one of the things that attracts him to synthesizers is--ironically--their ability to sound like acoustic instruments. “One of my favorite sounds is a cross between a flute and a trumpet. If it weren’t for a synthesizer, I never would be able to play that sound.”

Bromberg finds advantages to both acoustic and electric playing. “They’re like apples and oranges, different. I could never say one is a favorite over the other.

“With an acoustic instrument, the sound is left up to you. There’s nothing like that feeling. You don’t rely on technology. And acoustic music, which usually means traditional or mainstream jazz, tends to be more improvisational. I think it draws the best musicians in the world--and that’s coming from someone who plays electric music.”

However, Bromberg said he also likes the different feels and sounds that electric music offers, and the idea that it’s possible to reach greater numbers of listeners. Electric music is “easier for the layman to understand. Not that it’s less serious . It means as much to me as acoustic music. But one of the reasons I think a lot of us play electric music is that it reaches people, it’s a form of communication.”

Both he and Lorber have been busy in recent months. Earlier this year, Bromberg put the finishing touches on a new album that will feature guitarist Lee Ritenour and saxman Kirk Whalum. He just returned from a tour of Europe with drummer Billy Cobham, with whom he has been playing off and on for two years. After his tour with Lorber, he’ll travel to Japan with singer Kenny Rankin. (He’ll reunite with Lorber for some festival dates this summer).

Lorber has been producing tunes for Koz and for Benet, a brother-sister singing duo from Milwaukee. He also has been writing material for a new album of his own, which will have more jazz aspects than his last album. “I felt my last album was too commercial, and had too much emphasis on vocals,” he said. “On this one, I want to get back to instrumentals.”

This tour, he noted, is a good way to get his chops in shape. And Bromberg said that for him, it’s a grand way to play the kinds of music he loves most. “There’s nothing like a funk groove when it’s slamming, or a be-bop when it’s burning.”

Jeff Lorber and Brian Bromberg play tonight at 8 at the Coach House, 33157 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. $17.50. (714) 496-8930.