JAZZ REVIEWS : Rader, Combo Lead Music Class at Vinnie’s

Cornetist-fluegelhornist Don Rader and his combo put it together, literally piece by piece, to begin their second set Saturday at Vinnie’s Ristorante. The experience, for the few who were there to see and hear it, was an object lesson in how music is constructed.

It started before any of the foursome--Rader, keyboard player Joe Massimino, bassist Jack Prather and drummer Jack Lecaire--even stepped into the tiny space that serves as a bandstand. Massimino was talking up a tune he’d just received from Brazilian bassist Jose Marino, entitled “Ilha dos Frades.” Eventually, he moved over to his Roland electric piano to demonstrate the reasons he feels the tune is unique.

Before long, Prather had taken to his stool and began tracking the chord changes on his upright as Massimino called them out. Lecaire sat behind his drum set and set the appropriate percussive pace, freeing Prather to start toying with the lines. Finally Rader, wearing glasses and peering over Massimino’s hands at the music stand, began stating the rhythmic theme on fluegelhorn. The pieces came together smoothly and Rader moved up to solo.

If that spontaneous, first-time exercise was not as crystal perfect as it might have been, it set the stage for the best performance of the night. The group followed Marino’s tune with the familiar “My Funny Valentine” and Rader, this time on cornet, made an almost magical statement as he turned and twisted the familiar lines into his own image.

At times, his use of empty spaces and repeated lines recalled the musings of Miles Davis. Other times, he voiced long, deliberate lines filled with melodic warmth. The rhythm section was firm and confident behind him. A jazz fan couldn’t have asked for more.

The group’s first set had been a fine prelude. Rader touched only the basics of the “Autumn Leaves” theme before moving through a lyrical improvisation that was especially clever as it turned on the melancholy phrase that intones “and soon I’ll hear/old winter’s song.” Prather turned in a fine solo with lines that Massimino echoed from the keyboard. Lecaire’s brushwork was easy on the volume and heavy with variation. In all, it was just the kind of dressing that brings an old favorite to life.

Though Rader seemed less assured on fluegelhorn, he still created warm tones that flowed with grace and ease. His fluegelhorn was especially clean during “Honeysuckle Rose,” especially moody during “I Thought About You,” and he worked up a nicely rhythmic swing for a samba-paced “I Love You.”

Prather, always a standout, provided his usual fine foundation with plenty of embellishments to accent Rader or Massimino’s playing. His bowed solo on “Honeysuckle Rose” matched buzzing sustained notes with swiftly played ascending lines. During “Melancholy Baby,” his sliding tones, covering an octave’s range, lifted Rader into the upper register.

Working as a duo, Rader and Massimino took “Body and Soul” through a slow dance of exchanged ideas and variations. Sadly, almost half of those left to applaud this performance midway through the second set were fellow band members. Here’s hoping more people will show up when Rader--the onetime trumpeter with Count Basie, Woody Herman and Maynard Ferguson--next plays in the area.