JAZZ REVIEW : A Retro Roberts at Catalina Bar

Marcus Roberts, the pianist who earned consistent praise during his years with Wynton Marsalis and later with his own sextet, is now appearing at Catalina Bar & Grill, through Sunday, as a solo performer.

Along with the decision to work on his own, Roberts has undergone a change in direction. Formerly a flag bearer for progress, he has evidently been exploring jazz-piano history and concentrating on earlier styles.

Despite occasional nods to later developments (there was one Monk tune), most of the 12 pieces in Tuesday’s first set were based on concepts that date back to the 1920s or ‘40s. Three were old-time blues. “Stompin’ at the Savoy” and “How High the Moon” were products of the swing and bop eras, respectively. “Cherokee” used an insistent walking bass-line that soon wore out its welcome.

Instead of bringing to these works the rhythmic, timbral and textural variety, as he did in group settings, Roberts often applied a heavy beat, his left hand either striding or playing four chords to the bar. The effect was antithetical to swinging. The ballads, such as “When I Fall in Love,” were flowery excursions decorated by arpeggios.

At his best, Roberts displays a genuine feeling for the blues. His “When the Morning Comes,” with its minor-to-major shifts, had a “St. Louis Blues” quality. Of the up-tempo performances, only his closing “King Porter Stomp” by Jelly Roll Morton, escaped from the rigidity of the left hand pounding and achieved a welcome buoyancy.

A James P. Johnson tune late in the set, which he called “very difficult,” was preceded by a talk explaining stride piano--as if we hadn’t been hearing it for most of the past hour. Less stride, greater dynamic contrast and explorations of contemporary trends would bring more fully into focus the exceptional gift Roberts revealed in his Marsalis days.