JAZZ REVIEW : Think of Sunday at Spaghettini as Birdland South

Since Al Williams closed Birdland West in Long Beach earlier this year because of the weak economy, he has had some time on his hands. He’s still busy with his Rainbow Promotions company, which puts on the annual Long Beach jazz and blues festivals, but not busy enough, he confided Sunday evening at Spaghettini.

Thursdays at Birdland used to be Williams’ night to shine as a drummer. He has worked with most of the major L.A. musicians, and every Thursday night he led his Jazz Society at his now-defunct nightspot in straight-ahead sessions that concentrated on one thing: having some fun.

Spaghettini’s talent booker, recognizing an opportunity, lured Williams to the lounge, where the tradition continues Sundays. Williams brings in his Jazz Society, featuring singer Barbara Morrison.

Because of his dual roles as promoter and player, Williams knows everyone, and the band he leads here is particularly talented.

Take, for example, the youngest member, saxophonist Rickey Woodard. The Nashville product, who’s especially adept at injecting strong rhythm-and-blues feeling into his play, has worked with organist Jimmy Smith, the Ray Charles Orchestra and the Juggernaut big band of Frank Capp as well as the Clayton-Hamilton Orchestra. His release for the Candid label, “California Cooking!” was one of 1991’s most soulful, sax-led quartet recordings, out of a tradition that includes fellow tenor players Stanley Turrentine and the late Hank Mobley.

Then there’s pianist Phil Wright, who had stints as arranger/studio musician for both Chicago’s Chess Records in the early ‘60s and later Capitol Records after he moved to Los Angeles.

Bassist Henry Franklin, known as “The Skipper,” is valued as an accompanist by singers and front-line musicians for his strong, resonant tones. Put them together with vocalist Morrison, known here and abroad for her strong blues and ballad ways, and you’ve got a combo that, in the vocabulary of the day, can rock the house.

And that’s exactly what they did. Though many of the groups passing through the Spaghettini lounge work as accompaniment to barroom chatter and the whir of drink-mixing blenders, that wasn’t the case here. The band was assertive from its opening number, exactly what the good-sized turnout wanted.

The first set opened with “My Romance,” a mid-tempo exercise that featured Woodard’s flurries of 16th notes and his quirky yet attractive way of breaking up a line. “There Will Never Be Another You” featured Wright wringing a lyrical improvisation from Spaghettini’s cranky, out-of-sorts piano while Franklin gave a display of fleet phrases and ringing two- and three-note blends.

Woodard took to the crowd during “Body and Soul,” serenading nearly everyone for a moment or two at a proximity that allowed one to see the tarnish deep inside the bell of his horn.

With Morrison, the band cruised through an uptempo version of “No Greater Love” followed by a ballad-paced “Candy.” The singer played both songs straight, relying on her caramel-colored tones and astute rhythmic sense to carry each word. Her finest moments came on the touching “Make the Man Love Me,” which she delivered convincingly.

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The group’s second set was much looser and a good deal less serious. This occasionally hurt the presentation, as songs began on stumbling introductions or closed on badly contrived endings. But what fell between was lively, swinging and full of spirit.

As they covered tunes from Duke Ellington, Stevie Wonder and Percy Mayfield, the quintet played up each one’s rhythms and bluesy feeling. Woodard and Morrison are especially adept in this style, and the set became a free-for-all that produced the evening’s most animated moments.

The set got off to a hot start with “Sweet Georgia Brown,” which featured Williams’ impressively detailed drum solo. At one point, Williams (an excellent conga player) played with his bare hands, an effort that drew strong applause.

This ongoing engagement is the perfect way to end a weekend, and a sure spirit lifter. In a sense, it’s as if Birdland hasn’t closed after all; its party-like atmosphere has just moved south to Seal Beach.

* Al Williams’ Jazz Society with Rickey Woodard, Phil Wright, Henry Franklin and Barbara Morrison appears every Sunday at Spaghettini, 3005 Old Ranch Parkway, Seal Beach; 6:30 p.m. No cover. (310) 596-2199.