Getting in Tune With Some of L.A.’s Lesser-Known Vibes

The saxophonist you see playing bebop one night in a Ventura Boulevard club tours regularly with a big-name rock band. The pianist playing the thumbnail-sized performance space off Crenshaw is gearing up for a tour of Europe with his big band. The Culver City-based pianist’s private-label CD is available only through mail order, but it contains one gem of a Joe Henderson solo.

Welcome to the “local” Los Angeles jazz scene. Musicians ranging from Benny Carter to Charlie Haden to Herbie Hancock call Los Angeles their home. But there’s a deep pool of equally talented, less visible players out there as well, making records, scheduling concerts and practicing their craft.

This column will take periodic looks at what’s loosely called “the local scene,” focusing on smaller labels and performance spaces. Many of the musicians we claim as ours have worldwide reputations. The following recordings, some of which are hard to find, and club appearances show why.

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On the Record: Pianist Alan Pasqua, now based in Sherman Oaks, is a veteran of stints with Joe Henderson, Gary Burton and Tony Williams, among others. His latest recording, “Dedications” (*** 1/2, Postcards), illustrates the depth of his jazz connections with appearances from bassist Dave Holland, drummer Paul Motian, saxophonists Michael Brecker and Gary Bartz and trumpeter Randy Brecker. Despite this star power, it’s Pasqua who shines, playing with deep intelligence and the kind of sensitivity that’s reminiscent of the late Bill Evans.

* Orange County resident Art Davis recorded a number of times with John Coltrane some 30 years ago, as well as with Max Roach and Art Blakey. On his new release, “A Time Remembered” (***, Jazz Planet), Davis brings in the late saxophonist’s son Ravi Coltrane and pianist Herbie Hancock for a decidedly mainstream outing. While Davis’ own compositions are undistinguished, his sidemen make memorable statements on father Coltrane’s “Ole,” Hancock’s “Driftin’ ” and Billy Strayhorn’s “A Flower Is a Lovesome Thing.”

* Pianist Horace Tapscott, a true jazz phantom who’s seen here and in Europe but seldom in between, has released “Aiee! The Phantom” (*** 1/2, Arabesque Recordings), a date with respected drummer Andrew Cyrille, bassist Reggie Workman, Detroit trumpeter Marcus Belgrave and young New York saxophonist Abraham Burton. The band complements Tapscott’s vigorous and insightful play well, and his varied compositions are full of emotional reward.

* “The Best of John Wood: Back to 2 Track” (***, Studio Masters, [310] 391-7986) includes the likes of saxophonist Joe Henderson, trumpeter Woody Shaw, bassist Leroy Vinnegar, drummer Billy Higgins and others. Wood has put together a program of his own smoothly melodic, occasionally poignant originals and such varied numbers as Jimmy Smith’s “The Sermon” and Donovan’s “Mellow Yellow.” He’s especially adept at finding the beauty in a song and expressing it with honest feeling.

* Newcomer Jeff Babko’s “Misfits of Silence” (***, NCM West Records, [818] 382-2865) is a thoroughly modern, determined outing that marks the pianist as someone to watch. Babko performs originals that are at once serious and meaningful while playing in a style that is both rhythmically astute and emotionally deep.

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On the Stage: Everyone in Los Angeles is from somewhere else, right? That old saw is certainly true of trumpeter Wadada Leo Smith, one of the original members of Chicago’s avant-garde Assn. for the Advancement of Creative Musicians movement. Smith, who now teaches at CalArts in Valencia, brought fellow AACM member saxophonist and multi-instrumentalist Douglas Ewart in from the Windy City to play the World Stage on May 11 (and the following Monday at the Alligator Lounge).

The two, in the company of drummer Sonship Theus, bassist Anthony Lane and tuba player William Roper, created surreal landscapes that turned through alternating periods of turmoil and languidness. While the music came from outside the usual melodic structures, it never lost a sense of attraction.

* The World Stage Junior All-Stars, a collection of musicians under the age of 25 who rehearse at the Leimert Park performance space, played Catalina Bar & Grill Sunday afternoon in a show that spoke optimistically about the future of jazz.

Working without a bassist, the All-Stars showed surprising savvy, with fine sounds from drummer Kharron Harrison, guitarist Demetrius Wilson, vocalist Christopher Pierce and saxophonist David Sills. Pianist Donald Vega and trombonist Isaac Smith were particular standouts, demonstrating the fact that all young lions need not hail from New Orleans.

On the Airwaves: KCET-TV Channel 28’s “Life & Times” will profile saxophonist Buddy Collette and singer-impresario Ruth Price on “Jazz Bakery and More,” Wednesday at 7:30 p.m., repeating at midnight.

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