JAZZ REVIEW : Harper, Knepper Blow Into Town for a Memorable Set

Saxophonist Billy Harper and trombonist Jimmy Knepper, two of jazz’s most distinctive, and memorable soloists, were spotlighted Friday at the Hyatt Newporter, in a concert with Mark Masters’ Jazz Orchestra that was flavorful and artistic to the very last note.

The program featured Masters’ 14-piece orchestra authoritatively tackling his thoughtful, empathetic interpretations of about a dozen pieces by the guest artists, whose compositions are as disparate as their soloing styles.

Harper, 50, with his beseeching, vocal tone and demonstrative statements, was an in-your-face soloist, impossible to avoid. On the other hand, the 65-year-old Knepper was less obvious, employing a buttery sound and creating be-bop-based lines that were alternately as soft as whispers and as ardent as dogs barking.

The saxophonist--a native of Houston who has played with Gil Evans, Art Blakey and Max Roach--was represented by “Priestess,” “Is It Not True . . . Simply Because You Do Not Believe It” and “Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance!” These distinctive works were based on varying ostinatos --evocative rhythm patterns that were repeated for the duration of a number--and boasted melodies that ranged from the exotic to the ethereal.

“Bertha the Dragoness,” “Primrose Path” and “Languid,” three selections by Knepper--who has played with Charlie Barnet, Charles Mingus and the Thad Jones-Mel Lewis orchestra--were in a more traditional mode. They sported flowing, be-bop-type lines and were outfitted with steady, swinging rhythms.

Masters’ arrangements of these numbers were marked by their use of understatement. He mostly used only a few instruments--rather than a whole section--to deliver a melody, as on Knepper’s intriguing blues, “Who You?” where trombone and bass were featured.

Then, as a piece went on, Masters--like a basketball coach using substitutes discriminatingly--sparingly sent in the various brass and woodwind instruments, as accompanying colors to the soloists.

A typical Masters ending included a shout chorus--the dynamic climax of a number where the volume is quite loud. But, as on “Is It Not True,” where the trumpets screamed as the saxes played the melody, these sections were usually quite brief, as the arranger seemed anxious to return to a more subdued presentation. Quiet, however, did not mean flaccid; these pieces, pushed by the rhythm section of Kei Akagi (piano), Dean Taba (bass) and Randy Drake (drums), swung hard.

Both Harper and Knepper offered consistently rewarding improvisations. “Is It Not True” was a typical outing by the tenorist, as he hit high notes and held them out, then followed these beacon-like notes with sprints down to the bottom of his horn. There he played some low tones with panache, then erupted with a swirling stream of notes. Then he repeated the process.

Knepper, on “Languid” and “Primrose Path,” for example, played lines that curved, and lines that leapt back and forth, up and down his horn. There was an intimate quality to his work, as if he were speaking in hushed tones and wanted to take you into his confidence.

In the band, several performers stood out.

Trumpeter Bob Summers, with his tone that sizzles and his appealing, be-bop intensity, was stunning on “Primrose Path,” while saxman Jerry Pinter’s Coltrane-esque approach brightened the only non- Harper-Knepper piece, “Naima.”

Trombonist Dave Woodley dropped in several choice solos, his notes as fat and tasty as hot biscuits on “Dance, Eternal Spirits, Dance!”