JAZZ REVIEW : Upchurch’s Band Has a Special Ringer to It

Working with a pickup band--a group of musicians assembled for a single date--can be a hit-or-miss kind of thing. So when Phil Upchurch had to put such a trio together to play Randell’s on Saturday, he brought in a ringer.

The heavy hitter was bassist Darryl Jones. Like guitarist Upchurch, Jones hails from Chicago, and from the bandstand Upchurch recalled them working there together some 12 years back. He joked that Jones hadn’t had as great a gig since.

The truth is that Jones went on to become one of the most sought-after electric bassists in the business: He followed Marcus Miller and Tom Barney in the Miles Davis band and then, after a long and fruitful stint, joined saxophonist Branford Marsalis to back up Sting. Jones later worked in another ensemble led by someone who goes by one name: Madonna.

But if playing with Upchurch at Randell’s was a comedown, Jones didn’t show it. He seemed really to enjoy adding bottom to Upchurch’s quirky treatments of jazz standards.

The other members of the rhythm section also have had their days in the sun: Drummer Land Richards currently tours with Gladys Knight and Bobby Caldwell, and pianist Mark Massey has worked with violinist Stephane Grappelli, among others.

All that individual experience helped make the evening’s first set far more satisfying than those you usually get from a pickup band.

Not that anyone in the combo was unfamiliar with the material. Upchurch sought common ground by calling off well-known, post-bop standards--”Invitation,” “All Blues,” “ ‘Round Midnight.” Massey wasted no time constructing a dense, speedy solo on “Invitation.” Richards mixed it up on “All Blues,” keeping tight time while decorating his sound with cymbal and rim-shot embellishments.

Jones picked clean on the bass riff of “All Blues” while filling between lines with up-register color and ringing, two-note combinations. He stuck to the lower register when soloing, allowing melody to dominate, foregoing the high-powered fireworks he brought to the Davis band.

Upchurch was in his usual fine form, with strings of clipped tones and suggestive chordal slides. He introduced “All Blues” on the acoustic guitar, then switched to electric for his needle-sharp improvisation.

Switching back to acoustic, he played an unaccompanied version of Gershwin’s “Prelude, Number Two,” providing his own chordal accompaniment while picking out the moody melody in a way that created fascinating stops in the piece’s back-and-forth rhythm. It was the evening’s single most impressive performance.

But the band found its own niche during “People Make the World Go Round,” a swirling composition that alternates between minor- and major-key feels.

The crew brought a funk edge to the lyrical number, powered by a low end from Jones. Richards kept the piece tight and driving, releasing Massey and Upchurch to play some of their most ambitious improvs. If the entire set had been as energetic, this show really would have been one for the books.