Jazz Reviews : Solsonics Neutralize the ‘Acid’ Label : The ensemble’s Coach House show may not have heralded a new direction, but it did offer some fresh sounds.

In the few years since its inception, “acid jazz” has been championed as the badly needed new direction musicians have been seeking since the jazz-rock fusion revolution of the 1970s. But at the Coach House on Thursday, the nine-piece Solsonics (whose current CD is called “Jazz in the Present Tense”) demonstrated that it’s really the same old thing.

That’s not to say that the group isn’t good at what it does. The Solsonics are a tight, musically astute ensemble that embraces a bevy of genres. Blues, rock, reggae and rap all swirl into their jazzy mix, which is played with competence and a bit of flair.

The Solsonics are more musical and less reliant on sampling gimmicks than acid bands such as Jazz Hole. In fact, they’re reminiscent of an old-style R & B road band that can take on any number of personae and present them convincingly.

But to credit them as champions of a new direction is a bit of a stretch. Their rhythmic experiments recall the work of ‘70s-edition Grover Washington Jr. or the funk bands of Herbie Hancock. Their most visible jazz cover, Freddie Hubbard’s “Red Clay,” is a tune that’s been around for about 20 years, and, with the exception of some introductory vocal high jinks, the group does little to change it. Even the CD’s title cut employs a riff straight out of Oliver Nelson’s “Jeannine,” a song that’s older than most of the Solsonics themselves.

Still, this is a band with a fresh sound and the skills to make things interesting. Their opening number, “Now This Is How We Do It,” gave a view into their method: strong saxophone, flute and guitar solos that build on tough, snappy rhythms from drummer Willie McNeil.

All the featured soloists showed some character during their improvisations. Flutist Derrick Davis was fleet, agile and inventive on “Morning After Paradise,” and guitarist Emile Poree played with some of the same electric intensity that John McLaughlin brought to drummer Tony Williams’ heralded Lifetime trio a quarter century ago. Tenor saxophonist Jim Akimoto played with a considered cool but wasn’t afraid to kick out the jams when it was called for.

At the heart of the unit is bassist Jez Colin, who works with drive and an insistent funkiness, and drummer McNeil, who rolled and rattled on a trap set that seemed almost child-size before his considerable frame. Together, they give the Solsonics the punch that overall made their set so rewarding.

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Vocalist Mark Tunkara sang the beat-plea “Keep the Rhythm Strong” with a direct, no-gimmicks style; Kevin Williams took the vocal lead on “Blood Brother,” delivering the call for peace with strength and conviction. The two singers often combined their voices, both in harmony and unison, in a way that didn’t distract from what their band mates were playing in support.

Whereas the Solsonics represented the more professional side of acid jazz, opening act Strangefruit sounded a bit amateurish and did not show the musical competence of the headliners.

The six-piece ensemble, which covers such jazz stalwarts as “All Blues” and “Afro-Blue” at their ongoing Wednesday engagement at 5th Street Dick’s Coffee House in Los Angeles, used their Coach House appearance to concentrate on original hip-hop inspired material.

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Such tunes as “No White Clouds,” “To the East” and “Bohemian Negritude,” despite their sincere, often enthusiastic delivery--led by rapper-keyboardist Moorylien M. Jenkins--continually fell short because of a lack of musical ability.

But the band has a good sense of drama and a particularly stimulating way of working up a frenzy, as drums and percussion build against garage-styled guitar licks from Maria Hobbs and alto sax noodlings from Ngozi Inyama meld into an onslaught of sound.

Time spent pulling their musical chops together would go a long way in helping Strangefruit get their promising material across.