JAZZ REVIEW : Beasley, Patitucci Pairing Proves to be a Natural

The Jazz Bakery, where fresh and adventurous ideas seem to abound, was the scene Friday of a performance by pianist John Beasley and bassist John Patitucci.

Though they have worked together often in other settings, this was their first appearance as a duo. It became clear immediately that there is a rare empathy between the two. The program ranged from funk (Herbie Hancock’s “Cantaloupe Island”) to Monk (“Off Minor”). Special homage was accorded to composer Wayne Shorter, whom Beasley acknowledged as “the Monk of our generation,” and who was represented by “Speak No Evil,” “Yes or No,” “Pinocchio” and “Fall.”

Beasley, originally from Shreveport, La., has been a local resident for 15 years, with credits that include most of 1989 with Miles Davis. A sensitive eclectic, he adapts his style to the requirements of each work.

Patitucci by now is accepted as the young master of the upright bass. Every solo illustrated the extent to which technical perfection can lead to unlimited creativity. When backing Beasley, he showed an uncanny ability to mesh with the pianist’s every move.

Both men were represented as composers, Patitucci with “Love” and Beasley with the pensive waltz “Until Now.” Both are also masters of the blues, as was eloquently demonstrated in “Turnaround,” an early Ornette Coleman piece that began as an unaccompanied bass solo before building into a sort of 21st-Century impression of where the blues may be heading.