POP AND JAZZ REVIEWS : Sabal-Lecco, Friends: Lesson in Teamwork

With a resume that includes stints with Paul Simon, the Brecker Brothers and Herbie Hancock, bassist Armand Sabal-Lecco is one of the hottest new players on the jazz scene. The group he brought to La Ve Lee Friday night, however, was less a showcase for his extraordinary skills than an object demonstration in superb ensemble work.

For most of the opening set, Sabal-Lecco played an integrative role, laying down a constantly changing rhythmic line in support of a colorful mix of both collective and solo passages from his six-piece band. Only on the final number, “We Jam for Food,” did he spring loose with a virtuosic display of slaps, thunks, roars and runs that thoroughly justified his rapidly emerging prominence.

Good as Sabal-Lecco’s playing may have been, his sense of leadership and musicality was even better. Every musician in the group--David Goldblatt on keyboards, Stave Tavaglione on winds, Danny Reyes on percussion, Kirk Covington on drums and Ramon Stagnaro on guitar--was a first-rate soloist. And Sabal-Lecco managed to give each ample time for improvisation while still maintaining an unfolding compositional structure that occasionally recalled the music of Weather Report and Miles Davis’ finest ensembles.

It was a delightful exhibition of contemporary jazz, and an encouraging indication that the ‘90s--fueled by players such as Sabal-Lecco--may yet provide an influential new generation of jazz artists.