Saxmen’s Gigs Offer Passionate Contrasts

More than 20 years in age separate saxophonists Jackie McLean and Joe Lovano. But there is little difference in intensity between McLean, a cherubic-looking 64-year-old, and the sturdy, bearded 43-year-old Lovano. Each player is a symbol of jazz as passion, excitement and perpetual quest.

On Tuesday night, both East Coast-based musicians were in town, opening head to head with competitive runs through Sunday: McLean at the Jazz Bakery in Culver City and Lovano at the Catalina Bar & Grill in Hollywood.

Each held up his end of the contest, clearly demonstrating the similarities and the contrasts in their styles. But the winners of this competition will not be the players, but the jazz audience, which is being presented with a rare opportunity to sample two distinct takes on post-Charlie Parker bebop via tough, no-holds-barred jazz improvising.

Lovano’s approach, although rooted in fundamental swing and hard-driving blues, has moved well beyond the straight-ahead bebop of the ‘50s and ‘60s into a more free-floating, open-ended form of jazz. He has been much praised recently for a recording of complex, contemporary music with composer Gunther Schuller. His obvious versatility aside, however, the tenor saxophonist is at his best in a blowing environment, especially one that allows him to take his time, stretch out and explore an extensive improvisational path.

Most of Lovano’s opening set on Tuesday was devoted to just such excursions. Working mostly with originals bearing the unusual titles of “The Dawn of Time” and “Birds of Springtime Gone By,” he wasted little time with ensemble structures or interaction with his quartet. Each theme was laid out as a launching pad to allow Lovano to dig into a lengthy, horn-scouring journey through a rapidly changing improvisational landscape. The solos were virtuosic displays of Lovano’s quick-thinking musical imagination. On one piece, he switched from tenor to alto clarinet, revealing further expertise on an instrument rarely heard in jazz.

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But, despite the enthusiasm of the moderate-sized audience, which roundly applauded every Lovano chorus, the solos were surprisingly lacking in emotional heat. Only occasionally, and only in fragmentary segments of his improvisations, did Lovano bring a sense of feeling and inner illumination to his undeniably powerful technical performances.

Curiously, given their excellence, the rhythm team of Kenny Werner (piano), Dennis Irwin (bass) and Yoron Israel (drums) played a relatively subdued role. Werner, a first-rate soloist, added a few easygoing choruses, but Irwin and Israel functioned largely as a supporting cast.

Matters were different in the late set at the Jazz Bakery, where McLean was backed by the stellar rhythm team of Cedar Walton (piano), David Williams (bass) and Tootie Heath (drums). The combination was perfectly suited for the conservative, but heated, straight-ahead variations on bebop still being investigated by alto saxophonist McLean.

There’s no mistaking the McLean sound--a brusque, sometimes abrasive wail that knifes through the ensemble sound with a fervor that can reach out and almost physically grab an audience’s attention. That he frequently plays sharp and that his tone often slips and slides across the notes in no way diminish the effectiveness of McLean’s work.

In a predictable program of uptempos and a few standards such as “Old Folks” and “ ‘Round Midnight,” he used his irresistible rhythmic drive and impressive articulateness to underscore his long-held belief in the potent richness of ‘50s-style bebop. His impact, especially in a stunning romp through “ ‘Round Midnight,” was so forceful that the audience, shouting spirited comments throughout the piece, leaped to its feet at the conclusion and cheered.

It was an appropriate climax for an evening of first-rate jazz. Lovano and McLean, representing opposite sides of the same basic jazz coin, had their ups and downs. But their presence in the Southland in the same week is persuasive testimony to the music’s continuing vitality and audience appeal.

* Joe Lovano Quartet at Catalina Bar & Grill through Sunday, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., (213) 466-2210. $13 cover tonight and Sunday, $16 cover Friday and Saturday, with two-drink minimum. Lovano performs two shows nightly, at 8:30 and 10:30.

* The Jackie McLean Quartet at the Jazz Bakery through Sunday, 3233 Helms Ave., (310) 271-9039. $20 admission tonight at 8:30, Friday and Saturday at 10:15 p.m., and Sunday at 8 p.m.; $18 admission tonight at 10:15 and Sunday at 4 p.m.; $25 admission Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m.