SOUNDS AROUND TOWN : Table Tunes : Pianist Milcho Leviev plays dinner music for the thinking person. He is able to deftly combine genres, moods and textures.

When Milcho Leviev takes a seat at the grand piano at Wheeler Hot Springs in Ojai, he serves up dinner music that refuses to be taken lightly.

It’s not that Leviev loses sight of the delicate balance of the gig-- providing an artistic yet unobtrusive bed of music against a backdrop of chatter and clinking china. But for anyone who cares to notice, Leviev is a compelling instrumentalist, able to deftly combine genres, moods and textures.

The veteran, who has played with Don Ellis, Billy Cobham, Art Pepper, Free Flight and many others, makes dinner music for the thinking person. Last Friday night, for instance, Leviev offered a mini-portrait of his artistry while most of the patrons were concentrating on their entrees.

He played slow, teasing, luxuriant readings of “Lush Life” and “Autumn in New York,” a stride-driven, but gently eccentric “Sweet Georgia Brown,” and dove headlong into Bix Beiderbecke’s classically tinged tour de force “In a Mist.” He turned “I Got Rhythm” into a tricky two-handed invention.

“One time somebody requested ‘Rhapsody in Blue,’ ” said Wheeler manager Lanny Kaufe, “and he played the entire thing. He’s a major dude.”

Leviev has obviously honed the art of solo piano over the years. To maintain a sense of adventure and contrast in the absence of musicians to play off of, Leviev will tease the rhythmic feel of a song--now stride or swing, now rubato--and he exploits the full range of the keyboards, often taking solos with the left hand.

Part of his musical statement has to do with stylistic breadth, the ability, for example, to shift seamlessly from Ornette Coleman’s languid ballad “Lonely Woman” to a somber Bach prelude.

After the gig was over and the diners departed, Leviev sat down to talk, in his slightly Bulgarian-inflected English. He has lived in Los Angeles since 1971, after defecting from an increasingly repressive life in his native Bulgaria.

“I don’t plan what to play here,” he explained of his Wheeler’s agenda. “I just go from one thing to another, trying to keep it going. In a way, it’s a hard gig. I hate to make tapestry kind of music, where you just noodle. It’s a good exercise--to play something very soft, and yet to make sense, so that it’s not real background music.”

While he has made irregular stops at Wheeler’s for the past couple of years, Leviev has found himself becoming more and more intercontinental.

Since the general dissolution of the Communist bloc, Leviev has returned to his homeland four times in the last two years. Playing in jazz and orchestral classical contexts, giving seminars, Leviev has reconnected with his roots after being persona non grata for nearly two decades.

“I’m a big hero now,” Leviev said, with an ironic half-smile. “I’ve become a good guy now. Before, I was a bad guy. I was not able to go back. My parents both passed away and I wasn’t able to go there to bury them.”

Conservatory-trained, Leviev fell under the sway of jazz as an 18-year-old and began circulating among the small but devoted group of jazz musicians in Sofia, the capital city of Bulgaria.

The music had an appeal that went beyond the notes. “Jazz carries a certain mentality, a free spirit. In the jazz ensemble, if you try to behave like a dictator, you fail. In jazz, everybody is a leader, in a sense. Democracy maybe works there.

“I’m not putting classical music down, because I myself am a classical musician. But in a symphony orchestra, the hierarchy is obvious. You might have your own opinion, but the conductor is the king, he’s the president, whatever.”

The ‘60s was a relatively open decade in the Eastern bloc, a thaw period during which hints of democratization seemed promising. Leviev and his cohorts were allowed to form a jazz society, of which Leviev was the president.

Everything changed radically in 1968, after the uprising of the “Prague Spring.” The jazz society came to an abrupt halt because, according to Leviev, “I took an old Bulgarian patriotic song and made a Dixieland arrangement out of it. Some Party secretary came to this thing and he was furious.”

Suddenly jazz was a four-letter word by Party standards. “They knew that jazz has never been that popular--to ignite a revolution--but they correctly understood that jazz contained the sense of freedom. They were the most afraid of this type of thing.”

Along came an invitation from Don Ellis, the venturesome big band leader who is attracted to odd time signatures and exotic tonalities. Leviev had been corresponding with Ellis from Bulgaria for years before he finally made his way to Los Angeles, Ellis’ base of operations.

“There was an incredible return to jazz at that time, at the end of the ‘60s, beginning of the ‘70s,” said Leviev. “Everywhere we played, the enthusiasm was incredible.”

Leviev grinned. “Banal as it sounds, those were glorious days.”

Ellis died in 1978, at the age of 44, and Leviev went on to play with fusion drummer Cobham, delving into electronics. Subsequently, he played with the late saxist Art Pepper, the classical-jazz group Free Flight, wrote arrangements for Manhattan Transfer and Al Jarreau and generally enjoyed the life of the free-lance jazz musician.

A point of frustration now has been the lack of recording opportunities stateside. It’s been three years since Leviev’s last domestic release, a tribute to Irving Berlin on the Discovery label. But he has recorded numerous albums for European labels and, for the Japanese MA label, recordings on solo piano and in duet with the great bassist Dave Holland.

“As in everything else in our lives now, the big corporations have taken over,” said Leviev. “So this corporate thinking has infiltrated jazz too. It’s very dangerous for jazz music, I think.”

On one recent album, Gourbet Mohabet--released on the Bulgarian Balkanton label--Leviev shows his ability to straddle jazz and classical music: “For Frederic and Bill” is dedicated to Frederic Chopin and Bill Evans, while “Jim, Gem, Jam” is for flutist James Galway.

“I haven’t given up and moved to Europe,” Leviev asserted. “Plenty of people, a lot of American musicians, have done that. I’ve been here for 22 years. I have new friends here. My wife is an American lady. You become part of this thing here. As long as I have work, I don’t mind it.

“Stan Getz said something wise just before he died. He said it doesn’t really matter if you’re No. 1; you could be at the bottom the next day. Surviving, going the distance, that’s what counts.”

* WHERE AND WHEN

Leviev will return to play at Wheeler’s Sept. 25-27. Wheeler’s Hot Springs is at 16825 Maricopa Highway. For more information call 646-8131.

THE JAZZ MAPA / TWO-WEEK GUIDE

TONIGHT

* Michael Stephans and Strings (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) The inspired drummer Stephans has often been heard in Santa Barbara as part of the Theo Saunders trio. His own group features dual guitarists Larry Koonse and Mark Wagner, and former “Tonight Show” bassist Joel Debartalo. (Also on Thursday, Sept. 17.)

FRIDAY

* John Ezmirlian (Wheeler Hot Springs, 16825 Maricopa Highway, Ojai, 646-8131) The L. A. pianist is one of the regulars who give the Wheeler’s piano a graceful workout, on the theme of standards for dining and listening pleasure. (Also on Saturday night and for Sunday brunch.)

* Theo Saunders Trio (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) Pianist Saunders’ powers of interpretation and invention are forces to be reckoned; on an average night, he’s provocative, on a good night, he’s mind-bending. His steady trio, with bassist Chris Symer and drummer Michael Stephans, are empathetic foils. (Also on Friday, Sept. 18.)

* Greg Turner (Buster’s BBQ, 1201 S. Wells Road, Saticoy, 647-2103) The L.A.-based guitarist, whose credits include a stint with Sammy Davis Jr., plays on Fridays and Saturdays from 7:30 to 11:30. (Also on Saturday and Sept. 18 and 19.)

SATURDAY

* Theo Saunders Quartet (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) The noted jazz L. A. guitarist Larry Koonse comes up to join the ever-popular Theo Saunders Trio.

* Julie Kelley (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) Doing the 3-6 p.m. shifts on Saturdays in September, the sophisticated L. A.-based vocalist has a few albums to her credit, and she approaches songs with a distinctive flair and a rare degree of subtlety. (Also on Sept. 19.)

* Blue in Green (Hestia House, 1014 State St., Santa Barbara, 963-8060) The dedicated jazz unit focuses on standards without funny business and features crisp vocalist Debbie Kim, pianist Erdal Paksoy--who, along with his saxist friend Mehmet Kutukcuglu, hails from Turkey--bassist Andrew Klimowich, and drummer Dave Bauer. They have a tape out, “Illusions,” and the code word is cool .

SUNDAY

* Theo Saunders (Westlake Inn, 31934 Agoura Road, Westlake Village, 818-889-1662) The jazz pianist of choice in the area, here in a solo context, sautees the Sunday-brunch atmosphere in Westlake. (Also on the 20th.)

* Tejas (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) There’s a new, eclectic Latin-jazz band in town and those in the know will want to check it out pronto. Tejas, which is a Mexican-Indian term for “friends,” is led by recent S. B. emigre Fred Ralston on vibes, keyboardist Theo Saunders, bassist Randy Tico, drummer Cougar Estrada and conga player Carlos Gomez. With a lineup like this, what are you doing watching bad TV? (Also on Sept. 20.)

* Hank Allen (Red Lion Inn, Barra Los Arcos Lounge, 633 E. Cabrillo Blvd., Santa Barbara, 564-4333) Allen has been organizing the Sunday and Monday jazz at the Red Lion, rounding up a variety of fine pianists and other guests. Tonight, the featured pianist is the Los Angeles-based John Hammond. (Also on Monday and Sept. 20 and 21. On Sept. 20, Los Angeles-based Mike Melvoin will be his guest.)

MONDAY

* Bob Ledner (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) Flute is his tool of choice, and he’s been sounding off with it, eloquently, for years. (Also on Sept. 21.)

TUESDAY

* Joe Vento and his Big Band (Mullarkey’s at the Radisson Suite Hotel, 2101 Vineyard Ave., Oxnard, 988-0130) The multifaceted, multicolor-jacketed Vento attracts top-flight jazz musicians, including those recently relieved of their duties at the “Tonight Show,” and packs them into the intimate space of Mullarkey’s. The hottest jazz ticket in the county at the moment. (Vento also plays on Tuesday, the 22nd and in a combo format on Wednesday and Thursday.)

* Jazzheads (Hungry Hunter, 487 N. Moorpark Road, Thousand Oaks, 497-3925) Brian McCann and his band, usually including guitarist Brad Rabuchin, and bassist Bob Mair, serve up pop-jazz-funk favorites and a few straight-ahead tunes for good measure. Ask for the medley of “The Flintstones” theme and “Oleo.” (Also on Sept. 22.)

* Pelin (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) The Latin-jazz band that drummer-composer Luis Munoz built is on the verge of celebrating its 15th anniversary and finishing a new album. This incarnation of the band features Ventura saxophonist Tom Buckner. They recently returned from a mini- tour of Munoz’s native Costa Rica, and are back entertaining the troops on Tuesday nights by the sea. (Also on Sept. 22.)

WEDNESDAY

* Leslie Lembo and Raw Silk (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) Lembo has a voice of roughed-up silk and this band helps guide it through a varied terrain of R&B;, jazz and blues. (Also on Sept. 23.)

NEXT FRIDAY, 9/18

* Vadim Zilbershtein (Wheeler Hot Springs, 16825 Maricopa Highway, Ojai, 646-8131.) The Los Angeles-based guitarist gives his spin on the jazz standards repertoire. (Also on Saturday night and Sunday brunch.)

SATURDAY, 9/19

* Theo Saunders Quartet (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) The mighty Theo Saunders trio steps out for a Saturday night affair, joined by a special guest TBA.

SUNDAY, 9/20

* Randy Tico and Cool Breeze (Sea Cove, 801 Shoreline Drive, Santa Barbara, 965-2917) Bassist-about-town Tico heads up this flexible, mutating jazz unit from 3-6 p.m.