A ‘Trane Ride for Louis Taylor

Louis Taylor Jr. once called the blues “the most powerful aspect” of his playing. Not now. The powerhouse saxophonist who plays tonight at Spaghettini says he is looking for something more and has found inspiration in the music of John Coltrane.

“Coltrane’s sound, his harmonic conception, that spiritual thing that made him keep reaching out, those are in my thought processes now,” said Taylor, 41, who has played with Ray Charles, Gerald Wilson and in his own bands. “In terms of how I play tunes, I’m always thinking about how I can reach a certain level of communication with the audience the way ‘Trane did, by reaching out, constantly stretching the envelope.

“I don’t want to play like ‘Trane--I don’t want to copy or imitate anybody--but I’m inspired by his ideas, his feelings, and I’m seeing how far Louis Taylor can take the music in terms of all those feelings,” he said on the phone from his home in L.A.’s Silver Lake area. “I’m more comfortable with my investigative process, and I’m starting to hear things that sound like me.”

Taylor, who expects to make his debut solo album later this year, added that no matter what type of music he is playing, emotion is the primary factor.

“I like to cry through the music, express my ideas in terms of emotional content as opposed to technical aspects. I’m soulful, which means I like to make the music funky. At the same time, I like to be clear about the intent of a song, whether it’s a blues or a ballad, whether it’s sad or joyous, so that the audience experiences that feeling through something I have played.”

At Spaghettini, he will work in a duo with Mikal Majeed on keyboards, offering a broad range of selections that might include Coltrane’s upbeat (and arduous) “Moment’s Notice,” organist Jimmy Smith’s down-home blues “Back at the Chicken Shack,” Stevie Wonder’s “Creepin’ ” and James Brown’s “Cold Sweat.”

“I like variety,” he said. “I feel fulfilled tapping into all these areas, and people seem to like it, too.”

He was born in Salt Lake City, moved to Southern California with his parents in the late ‘60s, started studying music at Forshay Junior High in Los Angeles and later studied jazz with saxman Warne Marsh. “I remember he told me that you have to listen when you play this music,” Taylor recalls.

One of Taylor’s first major-league jobs was with Ray Charles, with whom he was a featured soloist from 1981 to 1985 and with whom he still performs occasionally. “From Ray, I learned the value of consistency. We’d get in off the road, be really tired, and Ray would go out and do a great job that night.”

Bandleader Wilson also has provided inspiration and guidance. “He has allowed me the opportunity to grow as a soloist because he knows my playing style and has given me a lot of space to express it,” said Taylor, who is spotlighted on Wilson’s recent “State Street Sweet” album (MaMa Foundation Records).

Taylor just performed with Wilson at a Library of Congress concert in Washington, D.C., where he was featured in renditions of Gershwin’s “Summertime” and “It Ain’t Necessarily So.” Other high-profile work has included performances with pop-jazz guitarist Marc Antoine and a sax solo on a new pop record, “Birmingham,” by Canadian singer Amanda Marshall that is starting to get heavy airplay in the States.

* Louis Taylor Jr. plays tonight at Spaghettini, 3005 Old Ranch Parkway, Seal Beach. 8 p.m. to midnight. No cover, no minimum. (310) 596-2199.