POP AND JAZZ REVIEWS : Bley, Swallow Turn on Light at McCabe’s

Pianist Carla Bley and bass guitarist Steve Swallow gently and subtly filled the stage with sound Saturday at McCabe’s as they made their first Los Angeles area appearance in six years.

Both dressed in black but delivering performances filled with light, Bley and Swallow deftly supported each other in what sounded as much like conversation as music. Democratically, the two equally shared melodies, improvisations and rhythmic accompaniment.

The selections, mainly drawn from the duo’s recent “Go Together” ECM album, had a seamless quality, although space was liberally employed. Sometimes years passed between melody notes, as on Bley’s “Sing Me Softly of the Blues,” and her solos were filled with crisply separated notes that stood apart like lamp posts on a deserted downtown street at midnight seen through the window of a speeding car. In contrast, Swallow soloed with lines that were fluid and curving, his shining sound resembling a guitar more than a bass. When accompanying Bley, his tone was rich and fat.

Highlights abounded. On “Romantic Notion 3” and “Doctor,” Bley offered crab-like lines and chord clusters that might have been played just-so by Thelonious Monk. “A Dog’s Life” was leisurely and sure, “Dark Glasses” implied something was being hidden, while “Fleur Carnivore” was open and expansive, a room full of afternoon sun.