JAZZ REVIEW : Doug MacDonald Expands His Franchise : The guitarist, always a solid mainstream craftsman, shows his deeper side in his Cafe Lido show, continually pushing his edges.

One thing’s for sure: Doug MacDonald is not standing still.

The guitarist, a native of Philadelphia who has been active in Southern California off and on for more than a decade, has always been a solid mainstream craftsman. But Wednesday at the Cafe Lido, he showed a deeper side of his music.

Leading a first-rate quintet that featured pianist Michael Jordan, bassist Jack Prather, drummer Paul Kreibich and vocalist Jack Wood, MacDonald created one lustrous musical moment after another on a series of selections not heard every day. The band played such choice numbers as Victor Young’s “Golden Earrings,” the Ellington-Strayhorn classic “Warm Valley” and Tadd Dameron’s “Good Bait.”

Particularly interesting was the North Hollywood-based guitarist’s employment of wide intervals, plucking two strings at once, summoning forth a tone that was deep and throbbing on the bottom, light and glowing on top. He would use this technique while delivering swaying, alluring lines, sometimes making it seem as if he were two guitarists instead of one.

MacDonald also demonstrated that he’s more of a chance-taker than in years past. He eschewed predictability in his solos, continually moving from one compelling idea to another, pushing the edge of his music rather than settling for statements lacking vigor.

It was as if he had allowed his jazz stance to breathe more. The additional air gave his approach new life, taking it far from the realm of simple entertainment into the domain of art.

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A medium tempo version of “Time on My Hands,” the pop standard that began the guitarist’s second set, exemplified MacDonald’s style.

Following an appealing melody reading that sported some unusual rhythmic combinations, the guitarist offered a series of irregular ascending leaps, some brief up-and-down figures that were shaped like domes and lines that ran swiftly upward, then shimmered as he tenaciously hung onto one note, then dropped down in range from that note.

Next he found another single note that he plucked repeatedly, followed by notes that swayed back and forth like dancers doing the West Coast Swing. He culminated this effort with a bluesy phrase, and a group of 10ths full of musical color.

“Golden Earrings” was done as a bossa nova, and MacDonald included both ear-pleasing strums and fast dashes in his delivery of the melody. Then Jordan was spotlighted, playing lines that were remarkable for their smoothness, and their ever-changing directions.

MacDonald began his solo with a chorus of Wes Montgomery’s “Road Song,” dropping in a brief tribute to one of his idols, then returning to “Earrings,” smearing some statements, picking others with precision and economy.

Prather’s solo here, using a bow, was just one of several ace improvisations. He varied between longer, stretched tones and quicker, alternating ideas, never working with less than melodic grace. He and Kreibich backed the proceedings with elan , making a good thing sound better.

A slow “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town” highlighted Jordan, whose bluesy ardor gave this usually syrupy tune stand-up-and-shout spine. Vocalist Wood, who possesses a rich tenor-baritone voice, did a commendable job knocking out such tasty tunes as “ ‘S Wonderful,” “But Not for Me” and “They Can’t Take That Away From Me.”

MacDonald and company return to the Cafe Lido on Jan. 12 and 26.