Sample Spins Musical Tales at Catalina

Pianist Joe Sample may still be best known for his long stint with jazz-funk band the Crusaders, but his best work always came as an individual. Leading his trio before a packed house at Catalina Bar & Grill on Wednesday, Sample mixed tunes from a new album with ones harking back some 20 years while displaying his seductive attractions: a strong rhythmic sense; a concise, lyrical way with an improvisation; and a storyteller’s skill at development.

Foremost among these is Sample’s rhythmic style, both as player and writer. Like his somewhat older contemporary Ahmad Jamal, Sample’s tunes are pegged to firm, accessible beats that establish a floor for his dancing lines. Even when a tune revolved through a number of moods and tempos, as happened during his ballad “More Beautiful,” there was always something solid for the listener to grasp.

Sample’s supporting crew, bassist Jay Anderson and percussionist Lenny Castro (both of whom are featured on Sample’s new album, “Old Places, Old Faces”), clarified this rhythmic vision, with Anderson establishing simple, modal frameworks as Castro played directly to the beat. Though encircled by a full drum kit, a canopy of cymbals and an array of percussion instruments, Castro kept his sound spare, adding only minimal embellishment to tempos he traced on his snare or congas.

From these simple thematic and rhythmic foundations, Sample built beautifully warm improvisations with almost literary qualities. More Hemingway than Fitzgerald, the pianist stated his lines simply, avoiding the more florid, dynamic attack of Jamal in favor of to-the-point phrasing and pithy harmonic support. His most moving statement came during “There Are Many Stops Along the Way,” a moody, minor-key affair that developed from precise, melancholy lines through passages of bluesy earthiness and splashy chords.

While Sample’s play is unquestionably satisfying, more interplay between the trio members, especially more texture and color from Castro’s overstocked kit, would make this a first-rate encounter. As it is, the trio stands on individual accomplishment. A sense of teamwork would make this good trio great.

* Joe Sample appears tonight through Sunday at Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood, 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. First set $16, second set $13. (213) 466-2210.