JAZZ : GOING WITH WHAT WORKS : He Takes His Show on the Road--and Into the Studio

When it’s time to record, saxophonist Richard Elliot doesn’t follow the conventional wisdom employed by many contemporary jazz artists. Rather than try to boost sales by including a gaggle of big-name guest artists to work as sidemen, Elliot, who plays the Galaxy Theatre in Santa Ana tonight, sticks with his regular band, the one he has out on the road for more than 100 performances a year.

“What happens if you use different bands, one for the studio and one for the road,” he explained from his Woodland Hills home earlier this week, “is that the touring band, performing the material night after night, gets insight that the studio band won’t have. They get a feel for the music. Sure, the studio musicians will do a good technical job of playing the music, but the touring band will give you a more personal performance.”

That thinking has worked well for the former Tower of Power saxophonist. His previous recording from 1993, “Soul Embrace,” went to No. 1 on Billboard’s Contemporary Jazz Chart. His new CD, “After Dark,” has been in the Top 10 since its release in October. The group playing the Galaxy tonight is the same heard on the album: guitarist Richard Smith, drummer Dave Reinhardt, bassist Naoki Yanai and keyboardist Ron Reinhardt.

“After Dark” isn’t entirely void of special guests, however. Singer Jefferey Osborne takes a turn on “If Tomorrow Never Comes.” The Tower of Power horns appear on the tribute Elliot has written for them, a tune called “The Boys From the Bay.”

The saxophonist credits his five years in the mid-’80s with Tower of Power for instilling the enthusiasm that he brings to each performance.

“Tower of Power was very aggressive on stage, and I learned early on how important that was. It doesn’t just mean playing fast and loud, but, even on a ballad, you have to stand and make a statement. If you didn’t make every note count with Tower of Power, you’d get swallowed up, and people didn’t know you were there.

“Whatever I’m playing now, I make sure it’s a statement. If we come off the stage exhausted, I want the audience to feel that too. I’m not looking to give them a passive experience.”

Passive is the last word that comes to mind after watching Elliot, who often falls to his knees to wail on his tenor.

“We go out of our way to give a sincere visual as well as musical experience,” he said.

It’s often said that Elliot brings a vocalist’s passion to his delivery, and the saxophonist agrees.

“Sax, by nature, is very close to the human voice. Like the voice, it has the ability to be expressive. There’s thousands of ways each note can be played; you can really put a lot of personality into it. Most sax players recognize that and try to exploit it as much as possible.”

And after all, he said, personality is what it’s all about.

“That’s probably the most important thing to me,” he said. “Not how fast I can play or how well I can run the scales, but to sound like myself and no one else. It’s the hardest thing to do.”

* Who: Saxophonist Richard Elliot.

* When: Thursday, Dec. 15, at 8 p.m.

* Where: Galaxy Theatre, 3503 S. Harbor Blvd., Santa Ana.

* Whereabouts: Take San Diego (405) Freeway to the Harbor Boulevard exit. Go north on Harbor Boulevard to Lake Center Drive and turn right for Galaxy entrance.

* Wherewithal: $19.50.

* Where to call: (714) 957-0600.

Hear Richard Elliot

* To hear a sample of the new album “After Dark,” call TimesLine at 808-8463 and press *5560.