ALBUM REVIEW : Bennett and Old Friends Put Fusion Back on Track

Max Bennett and the Maxx Band, “Great Expectations”; Chase Music Group (***)

In the kingdom of electric bass, the groove is king. And few groove as deeply as Max Bennett.

The reason? Probably that Bennett has more experience than most in the bass guitar fraternity. As a founding member of L.A. Express--which included the likes of saxophonist Tom Scott, keyboard player Joe Sample and guitarist Larry Carlton--he was one of the prime movers of the West Coast fusion movement. Before that, he was paying dues with the likes of Ella Fitzgerald, Stan Getz, Aretha Franklin and Miles Davis. He has played on recordings by Frank Sinatra, Frank Zappa and Quincy Jones, among others. And he was longtime musical director for Peggy Lee.

Now based in San Clemente, Bennett brings this considerable background to “Great Expectations,” and the result is one of the year’s more polished crossover efforts. He also has called in some favors, with L.A. Express pals Scott and Sample making guest appearances, along with friend and Yellowjacket keyboard player Russell Ferrante.

Bennett’s core group--Jeff Jorgenson on sax, Rob Whitlock on keys, Brian Price on guitar, Dave Hooper on drums and Scott Breadman on percussion--delivers tight, solid readings of Bennett’s tunes and supplies improvisations appropriate to the moods. Bennett himself works as an equal with his band mates, instead of standing apart as a leader with lengthy solos and over-amplified accompaniment. His playing is a sympathetic addition to the mix, in a tasteful style that never draws attention to itself with the kind of confrontational, thumb-pounded exposition so popular among the current crop of Marcus Miller-influenced bassists.

He also has a crafty way of composing, coming up with melodic, sometimes muscular themes and matching them with appropriate rhythmic drive. “The Long Road” and “Midnight Cruising” bounce along at legal highway speeds (Scott adds high-octane soprano on the former). “Dream of Me,” with Scott on tenor and Sample on piano, is a soulful lament played at a slow blues tempo.

Singer Warren Wiebe brings his considerable, Stevie Wonder-influenced tones to Bennett’s ballad “Why, Oh Why.” Ferrante’s piano adds grace and swirling movement to “The Dancers.” The title tune, the most upbeat number on the disc, finds Ferrante adding color on synthesizer.

Though there are times when the gloss of electric instruments and on-the-beat tempos detract from its quality, Bennett’s recording is a solid one. Fans who have been turned off by the predictability and singsong commercial themes of current-day fusion would do well to check out “Great Expectations.” It holds the artistic promise that much of the fusion movement has betrayed.

* Max Bennett and the Maxx Band play tonight at Michael’s Supperclub in the Dana Point Marina, 24399 Dana Drive, Dana Point. 8:30 to midnight. $5. (714) 493-8100.

Albums are rated on a scale of one star (poor), two stars (fair), three stars (good) and four stars (excellent).