Familiarity Breeds a World-Class Sound

Pianist Cecilia Coleman has that rare commodity among local jazz musicians: the working band. Her quintet, with trumpeter Steve Huffsteter, saxophonist Andy Suzuki, bassist Dean Taba and drummer Kendall Kay, has been working together for about three years.

It shows. The quintet’s first set at Steamers Cafe Saturday night was tight and ambitious, filled with wonderful ensemble play and inspiring solo efforts. While the Los Angeles-based group makes the majority of its appearances in Southern California (they’ve traveled to both the Monterey and Telluride jazz festivals as well), there’s no doubt that this is a world-class band that deserves to be heard on the international stage.

Coleman and crew have a strong work ethic. They can be seen at least once most weeks playing some venue in the vicinity, and more often two or three appearances are scheduled.

In their case, familiarity breeds competence. Not only are they relaxed with the material, much of it written by Coleman, but their confidence often leads to fits of improvisational daring, even on newer selections.

A case in point was Coleman’s thoroughly modern theme “Hope,” which the group had performed only a couple of times previously. A driving, slightly skewered bass-and-piano line that reflected the pace of modern life was strung with simple sax-trumpet calls before each horn took a solo rife with feeling. Drummer Kay filled his solo spot with snare and tom-tom exchanges and bright cymbal play.

Coleman’s original material covered a wide array of styles. “Words Of Wisdom” had an assured yet hurried feel as it swang back and forth between different upbeat tempos.

The bouncy theme of “Slippin’ ” gave the horns a chance to explore more soulful moods. “Isabella,” which Coleman announced was inspired by Taba’s admiration for actress Isabella Rosellini, carried the grace and poise of its namesake. The fact that Coleman’s bandmates were well acquainted with these tunes went a long way toward their seamless presentation.

Huffsteter, a veteran of stints with Stan Kenton, Toshiko Akiyoshi and a host of Southern California musicians, is a strong, confident player with a solid tone. As he plays, he imparts a definite sense of story line. His fluegelhorn sound on the standard “For All We Know” was a model of warmth and thoughtfulness and his play in tandem with the sax was alert and sympathetic, sometimes creating tones so well combined that they sounded as though they were from a single source.

Suzuki recalls Wayne Shorter, especially on tenor, in the tone and ambition of his play. His soprano work on Brian Lynch’s “Bird Flight” was sinuous in its long lines and smooth, flowing direction.

The blend of horns--sometimes in unison, sometimes in harmony--that Coleman employs gives the band a flavor similar to that of the best editions of Art Blakey’s Jazz Messengers. This winning combination gives the numbers a harmonic depth that’s heightened by Coleman’s own play, resulting in a sound that’s both mainstream and contemporary.

Coleman’s improvisations, especially on her unaccompanied treatment of “Stella By Starlight,” contained her usual warmth and lyricism as well as healthy doses of muscle (“Bird Flight”) and even a devil-may-care attack (“Hope”). While the horns may be front and center in the lineup, there’s no doubt that Coleman is the driving musical, as well as organizational, force behind this ensemble.