Brandeis and Coltrane Fine at USC Fest

The teaming of guitarist Bennett Brandeis and saxophonist Ravi Coltrane Tuesday at USC’s Bovard Auditorium was a modest, congenial affair that offered little in the way of fireworks, but did generate many modest, often understated rewards.

The show, part of USC’s four-day Jazz City ’96 festival that features student concerts, master classes conducted by well-known jazz artists and their follow-up performances, emphasized the interplay that goes into jazz while providing an object lesson for a mostly student audience of some 250 in how different musical personalities can fit together in a single ensemble.

Brandeis’ quintet--with New York visitor Coltrane, pianist Louis Durra, bassist Jeffrey Littleton and drummer Joe LaBarbera--found common ground on its leader’s melodic originals and arrangements of such standards as “Manteca” and “Moanin’.” Of the two front line players, Brandeis was the most up front. By contrast, Coltrane’s tenor was delivered in conservative style as the son of the late saxophone giant stuck to the middle register of his instrument.

The two meshed best on Brandeis’ mystically toned piece “Duet,” layering impressionistic lines over LaBarbera’s rolling mallets and Littleton’s drone. Pianist Durra added extremely spare accompaniment with pin-point precision.

Not until their last number, a medley of Sonny Rollins’ “Tenor Madness” (Rollins’ original recording included Coltrane’s father) and Brandeis’ “The Loop,” did the group play with abandon, as the piece moved from bebop into a decidedly modern tempo and theme.

The evening opened with a professional-level presentation from the SC Wednesday 8 P.M. Trio , directed by bassist John Clayton (who was not in attendance). Pianist-vocalist Matt Faulker, bassist Vince Johnson and Don Peretz also proved adept at team effort while each contributed promising improvisations that reflected a sense of form and development.

* Jazz City ’96 continues today with Yellowjackets keyboardist Russell Ferrante and the USC Elf Ensemble conducted by Shelly Berg at the USC Hahn Plaza, noon, free; and concludes tonight with the USC Vocal Jazz Ensemble directed by Glen Carlos and a solo performance from Marcus Roberts at Bovard Auditorium, 7 p.m. $15. (213) 740-2167.