Jazz Review : Jack Sheldon Can Improvise in More Ways Than One

Improvisation is central to a performance from Jack Sheldon. Sure, the well-known trumpeter and vocalist creates spontaneously with his horn, bringing a personal touch to the standards he plays. That same kind of off-the-cuff thinking makes for hilariously rewarding comedic, between-song banter, Sheldon’s trademark since his days as musical sidekick on “The Merv Griffin Show.”

Those who attended his performance Tuesday at Spaghettini might easily have thought they’d wandered into the Improv comedy club by mistake, as Sheldon took time in each of his first two sets to expound on everything from Orange County’s financial problems to his own sexual preferences.

Characters including Janet Reno, Chet Baker, Richard Nixon and Judy Garland all surfaced at one time or another, and selected members of the audience were singled out for good-natured ridicule.

Occasionally, Sheldon’s verbal delivery fell back to vaudeville-style gambits, as happened when one of his jokes fell flat and he countered with, “Has there been a death in he audience?”

But more often his delivery came in free-form association as he spun stories and responded to his own pronouncements in ways that recalled avant-garde musicians improvising on a theme. Though at times he often clung too long to a particular point, one couldn’t help but admire the wit behind the voice.

Oh, yes--there was jazz too, though sometimes it seemed overshadowed by Sheldon’s comic patter. Working with pianist Brian O’Rourke and drummer Dave Tull, Sheldon concentrated on nostalgia, presenting such favorites as “Come Fly With Me,” “It Had to Be You” and “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in ways designed to stir memories.

Though not blessed with the most beautiful voice, Sheldon uses what he has wisely, emphasizing the lyric while paying particular attention to rhythmic nuance. He was not above playing with the presentation--during an up-tempo “I Remember April” he rushed ahead of the beat, then inserted theatrical laughs as he repeated the line “I’ll smile . . . “ But his inventiveness never interfered with the story he was telling. And there were comic turns in his singing too, as when he turned “You Stepped Out of a Dream” into “You Stepped Out of a Stream.”

Despite his playfulness, there’s no mistaking Sheldon’s respect for the material. He often related facts about songs’ creation and his own relationship to them, as he did with “The Shadow of Your Smile.” His trumpet-playing extends that respect while mirroring his admiration for the be-bop period that inspired him.

The notes from his horn often came in bop-flavored flurries, giving a somewhat busy quality to his playing. But, like his vocals, the trumpet lines fit snugly inside the rhythmic context. Sheldon’s approach to each number was tailored to its mood. His playing on “The Shadow of Your Smile” was romantically lyrical, on “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” his improvisation built with a soaring sense of drama.

The trumpeter has found the perfect foil in pianist Brian O’Rourke, a keyboardist who, as Sheldon announced, has a fine sense for the “older” styles of play. Boogie, stride and rag touches filled his solos, and he often inserted octave runs before swirling off in a breezy double time. The easy way O’Rourke displays his virtuosity recalls Art Tatum, as does the way he swings smoothly from one rhythmic approach to the next.