JAZZ REVIEW : A Day (and Night) of Music : 12-Hour Marathon Presents an Eclectic Mix at Long Beach Clubs

Al Williams, his curly, graying mop of hair forming what looked like a thick halo atop his head, smiled as he sat behind his drums Saturday, playing with his Jazz Society quintet on the stage of the Beach Palace--the same downtown room that from 1988 to ’94 was known as Birdland West, and of which Williams was the proprietor.

The engaging shuffle beat that he provided to Eddie Harris’ “Shakey Jake” bolstered the celebratory bent of the piece, which fit ideally into the festive nature of the occasion. The Jazz Society was one of 27 bands taking part in the eighth annual Day of Music, held from 2 p.m. to 2 a.m. in seven clubs in the Pine Square section of the city.

If you wandered the two-block area, you could hear jazz, blues, acid jazz, flamenco, alternative music, even opera coming from the Beach Palace, System M, L’Opera, the Blue Cafe, Alegria, Mum’s/Club Cohiba and Andiamo. Among the groups participating were Black/Note, the Greyboy Allstars, Top Jimmy, the Rhythm Lords, the B Sharp Jazz Quartet, all that is and the Eric Sardinas Project.

The eclectic lineup mirrored the musical tastes of Moins Rastgar, the 33-year-old owner of System M and the Day’s producer. “I want to present a musical menu that has not been seen before,” said the native of Turkey, who has lived in Los Angeles for 18 years.

Indeed, Rastgar said this year’s event looked to be the best ever. Started in 1987 by Titus Levi of the California Outside Music Assn., the Day was taken over by Rastgar in 1990. Last year, it drew 1,500 people; this year, he calculated the crowd at 2,200.

“It keeps building. More people are hearing about it through the media, and those who have come from previous years tell their friends. It’s become a tradition.”

For the Day’s jazz concerts, all of which were held in the Beach Palace, Rastgar’s choices included the Joey Sellers-Tony Malaby quartet; Vinny Golia, who preceded Williams with a set of alluring sounds that accented non-structure-bound improvisations, and pianist Horace Tapscott, who followed the Jazz Society with a turbulent set.

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“It’s good to be home again,” Williams told the 100 people who’d come to hear him. He had not played the room since July 30 of last year. He had closed it the following Aug. 13 because of financial reasons and just plain exhaustion. Williams, who also ran the now-defunct Jazz Safari in Long Beach, had been a nightclub owner in town for 15 years.

Using a first-rate crew--Nolan Smith on trumpet, Herman Riley on tenor saxophone, Gildo Mahones on piano and Henry Franklin on bass--Williams played a rich and distinctive brand of hard-bop, a style that stirred memories of the great Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers, but which had its own mark.

Franklin’s upbeat, catchy-themed “Norwegian Eyes” opened the four-tune set. Smith soloed first; over a bubbling rhythmic pulse provided by Williams, Franklin and Mahones, he offered smeared phrases, notes bitten cleanly and fast, and intricate runs, all with a fat sound that brought Clifford Brown and Freddie Hubbard to mind.

Riley’s sound was sometimes airy, and sometimes thick as gravy, as he unleashed riotously brisk doubletimes, deep and probing low tones and whiny, high cries. Mahones mixed robust, lyrical lines with funky, choppy chords and Franklin soloed like a horn man, deftly employing phrases that took delightfully circuitous routes to their completely logical destinations.

The ever-enticing Tapscott, an elder statesman of the Los Angeles avant garde scene, lead a trio with bassist Trevor Ware and drummer Fritz Wise, and dug into three lengthy, spirited renditions.

The opening “Now’s the Time,” a blues by Charlie Parker, was given a wild ride on the piano. In his lengthy improvisation, Tapscott scintillatingly blended rock-solid, bluesy statements, slammed chords, and fleet-fingered dashes that clattered like chimes in a strong wind. He hardly stopped moving as he played, leaning forward and back, pounding his feet in time to his musical thoughts.

He also played “Autumn Colors,” an enchanting original that swayed between rumination and utter bombast, and he took a mercurial look at Juan Tizol’s “Caravan.” Ware and Wise were ideal foils, supporting his expositions superbly and soloing with taste.

Later, Rastgar was asked how he felt about the Day. “The feedback is great,” he answered. “People keep asking why have this just one day a year. It’s a good question. But we are going to expand next year, using outdoor facilities and a ballroom at the [nearby] Ramada Hotel.”