JAZZ REVIEW : D’Rivera, Sandoval Show Differences, Similarities at UCLA

Saxophonist Paquito D’Rivera and trumpeter Arturo Sandoval, who shared the bill Friday at Royce Hall, have much in common.

Both were members of the Havana-based band Irakere. Both defected from Cuba, became proteges of Dizzy Gillespie and are based in the United States. There, however, the resemblance ends.

D’Rivera’s quintet is international in personnel and performance. The Cuban leader has an Argentine trumpeter and pianist, a drummer from Barcelona and a bassist from Lima. Their eclectic performance took in a mambo, a Latin waltz medley and a tango.

Although best known as an alto saxophonist, D’Rivera has become a remarkable clarinetist, with an individual sound and style. His tribute to Gillespie “I Remember Diz,” was elegant and inspired, as was Gillespie’s “Tanga.”

Sandoval, who played the second half, has a more Americanized quintet, used mainly to showcase his trumpet. Opening with “Blues Walk,” he played several tunes either composed or recorded by Clifford Brown or dedicated to him.

The impact of Sandoval’s amazing range, which can take him from the trombone register upward to notes only a dog could hear, has begun to wear thin. The wild forays on “Cherokee” and “Caravan” were packed with excesses. Not until an encore, “I Remember Clifford,” did he remind us that he is capable of lyricism and good taste.