JAZZ REVIEW : Even With His New Grit, Carlton Lacks Emotional Punch

Recording company executives get jumpy when they can’t pigeonhole artists into neat stylistic categories. Pop-jazz guitarist Larry Carlton broke out of his own stylistic box this week at the Del Mar Fair. His set probably would have stumped executives at his label, GRP, as much as his last recording did. That raucous, blues-based collection was never released by GRP because it was too far from Carlton’s restrained, tasteful approach.

His new appearance suits the sometimes sinister new side of Carlton’s sound. He sports a mustache and Hollywood stubble on a face that looks leaner than in the past. His hair has thinned since he was pictured on his last release, the 1990 greatest hits package, “Collection,” and Carlton wears it long and wispy in back. In cowboy boots, jeans and loose-fitting leather coat, he looked more like an outlaw rock guitar hero than a light-jazz legend.

Carlton built his career during the 1970s as a studio musician whose smooth, supple licks glued together many popular tunes by artists as diverse as Herb Alpert, Quincy Jones, Paul Anka and Linda Ronstadt, as well as several albums by the Crusaders, the jazz-funk fusion unit of which Carlton was a member from 1971 to 1976. His solo career took off during the 1980s as he showcased his slinky sound with a string of catchy original compositions.

But the job of a studio musician is to change musical colors like a chameleon, always blending in. Carlton possesses a studio musician’s bag full of sophisticated musical tools, but he is frequently unable to use them to bust out with some pure emotion.

Carlton’s short set Wednesday night included several of his signature songs, such as the originals “Smiles and Smiles to Go” and “Night Crawler,” plus his versions of Michael McDonald-Lester Abrams’ “Minute by Minute” and the dreamy 1959 hit by Santo and Johnny Farina, “Sleepwalk.”

Backed by a bumptious band that featured Kirk Whalum on tenor sax, Carlton seemed more interested in pursuing the screaming blues sound that so confused his record company. (Since being turned down on the blues project, he has made a new recording of classic Carlton light jazz, due in September.)

Carlton opened with a blues jam fueled by Greg Mathieson’s Hammond organ. After dispensing with “Night Crawler” and “Minute by Minute,” he ripped into a searing, up-tempo version of Miles Davis’ “So What,” with Whalum’s sax answering Carlton’s guitar in an electrifying reprise of the original dialogue between Davis and saxophonist John Coltrane. This early point in the set proved to be its most pleasing.

The rest was dominated by several extended blues-rock jams, with Carlton grimacing and throttling the neck of his Stratocaster like one of those devilish dudes on MTV. But, even though Carlton has mastered the string bends and frazzled tones of the great blues guitarists, he is unable to tell an engaging musical story with his solos the way the great blues players do.

Instead, his extended turns in the spotlight came off as Ripley’s Believe It Or Not demonstrations of his guitar prowess that excited the Carlton faithful at the edge of the stage but left many listeners in the bleachers as cold as the night air.

Carlton was the second act to try out the fair’s new temporary concert setup. (Steppenwolf opened this year’s fair with a Tuesday night performance.) This year, while the fair’s new grandstand is being completed, a temporary stage and bleachers have been constructed on the edge of the racing track’s infield.

In sight and sound, this arrangement is comparable to the old grandstand. Seats in the middle are excellent, but to the sides, lines of sight diminish and the sound dissipates.

But this year’s bleachers don’t feel very secure. One usher said he was scared by how much they wobbled as the crowd stomped its feet to Steppenwolf. Steel stairs are slippery, and aisles of thin steel between bench seats are unsteady underfoot.

The most solid place to be this year, also a place with excellent views and sound, is on the wide patch of ground between the stage and the bleachers, where a few hundred Carlton faithful stood throughout his set.

Concerts start at 7:30 p.m., so get there early to stake out a prime spot. Up next: the Charlie Daniels Band (tonight), RTZ (Saturday), Carman (Sunday) and Billy Dean (Monday).