JAZZ REVIEW : Akiyoshi Extends Her Range at Royce Hall

More than any other artist on today’s music scene, Toshiko Akiyoshi, whose orchestra appeared at Royce Hall on Saturday, offers evidence that jazz is as much a compositional as an improvisational art.

As writer, arranger, conductor and pianist, Akiyoshi continues to broaden her standards. A new element was added on this occasion with the addition of a conga drummer, Dave Romero, who was introduced in “Desert Lady.”

Composed by Lew Tabackin, “Desert Lady” has taken on a new and compelling life as extended and orchestrated by Akiyoshi. In its revised form it is a flute concerto, with Tabackin central to the work, part of which is an exotic foray in 3/4 time.

As he has been ever since the West Coast version of this orchestra made its debut, Tabackin stands head and shoulders above most of his contemporaries. The concert got under way with his bristling tenor sax cooking relentlessly in the first few choruses of “Strive for Jive.” But on this occasion it was as a flute virtuoso that Tabackin made his primary impact. “Kogun,” with its Asian overtones provided by a tape recording of Tsusumi drums, was one of several pieces dominated by him.

Akiyoshi has always been a little too modest in featuring herself, though she was heard to advantage in “Remembering Bud,” an evocative tribute to her early piano idol, Bud Powell. At one point or another almost everyone in the band had a chance to solo effectively. “Hiroko’s Delight,” another new Akiyoshi piece, left individual space for three of the four trumpeters.

Back in the 1970s Akiyoshi wrote a piece heard Saturday titled “Warning: Success May Be Hazardous to Your Health.” As it turns out, the warning did not apply to the composer. Her success is beyond dispute while her musical and personal health would seem to be in admirable shape.