Jazz Review : Jones Serves Up Seminar in Percussion

At first glance, Elvin Jones in action doesn’t seem to be doing very much at all. His face lit up by a characteristically bright smile, his arms moving gracefully from snare drum to cymbal, he plays his drum set with an almost effortless ease. No flashy pyrotechnics, no sweating forehead--only a flow of rhythm so powerful that it energizes everything within hearing distance.

Wednesday night at the Jazz Bakery, Jones opened a weeklong run without the presence of one of his musicians, trombonist Delfeayo Marsalis, whose flight to L.A. was delayed. But there was no diminution in the quality of music from a group that serves, essentially, as a showcase for the leader’s extraordinary artistry.

Jones has been universally praised for the multilayered, cross-rhythmic style he developed during his tenure with John Coltrane in the early ‘60s. Few drummers in the intervening years, in either jazz or rock, have remained uninfluenced by the dynamic approach to meter and timbre engendered by Jones at that time.

Less apparent has been his mastery as an accompanying player, his ability to urge players of average skills to a higher level of performance. The band he is leading at the Bakery, with Marsalis (who will be present for the balance of the run), tenor saxophonist Ari Brown, pianist Joey Calderazzo and bassist Chip Jackson, is a solid, efficient, if not especially innovative ensemble.

Performing a program that ranged from a surging “It Don’t Mean a Thing If It Ain’t Got That Swing” to a lighter-textured “Lullaby,” a Japanese folk melody arranged by Jones’ wife, Keiko, they produced a few high points--notably one or two vigorous solos from Brown’s rough-toned horn and Calderazzo’s brisk, chord-driven choruses. In each case, the meticulous, supportive playing of Jones was the trigger factor that brought the music to life.

Jones’ own solos were amazing. He has a remarkable capacity for viewing a segment of musical time completely detached from the meter of the music--a capacity that allows him to create layers of complex rhythm without losing the music’s primary rhythmic momentum.

At 68, Jones is still at the peak of his powers, and the seminar in percussion he is providing at the Bakery this week is one that should be attended by anyone with the slightest interest in jazz drumming.

* The Elvin Jones Quintet at the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City, (310) 271-9039. Jones performs tonight and Saturday at 8:30 p.m., and Sunday at 3 and 8 p.m. $20 admission; $17 for Sunday matinee.