Jazz Reviews : Despite ‘Santa,’ Benoit Set Turns Cold

Keyboardist David Benoit opened his show Friday at the Strand in brilliant fashion with the seasonal anthem of anticipation, “Santa Claus Is Coming to Town.” But the promise of that first number faded in the absence of further delights.

Borrowing the trio arrangement heard on the late Bill Evans “Trio ‘64” recording, Benoit turned the holiday ditty into a vehicle of expression, playing at the pace of a pixie’s dance while coloring the mood with ironic, bluesy touches.

Though the pianist’s delivery was a bit busy--some pause would have emphasized the sardonic nature of his reading--the tune was easily the evening’s highlight.

But from there, with the addition of sax and electric guitar, things turned cold. Playing largely from his recent “Shaken Not Stirred” recording, Benoit resorted to the kind of bland material that gives his expressive talents little showcase. His repetitive, all-too-pleasant themes were warmly received, but most gave him little chance to show any emotional depth.

There was little variation in the rotating mix of backbeat and ballad numbers. “Chi-Chi’s Eyes” contained some clever, veiled references to Paul Desmond’s “Take 5” and Jeff Kashiwa’s flute work gave the tune a comforting grace. Many of the numbers featured the classical stateliness that has become Benoit’s signature, but none took advantage of that cultured mood, dissolving instead into the kind of simple lines that mark the worst of fusion jazz.

Vocalist Kenny Rankin joined the band for a thin performance of Lorraine Feather’s thoughtful lyric to Benoit’s “Days of Old,” and David Pack gave a strong reading of the throwaway words he penned for the pianist’s “Any Other Time.” On sax, Kashiwa, always strong with pop-flavored material, brightened some songs with solos.

But Benoit never topped the feeling he generated with “Santa Claus.” There were moments during Vince Guaraldi’s “Charlie Brown Theme” when the pianist threatened to cut loose--but ultimately didn’t. All in all, this was an evening that could have used more naughty and less nice.