Playing by Ear

For Bob Efford, playing jazz is pretty much like not wanting to get out of bed in the morning: a completely natural act.

“I never consciously think about playing a jazz chorus,” said the native of East London in his Cockney accent. “It’s almost like a meditation. I shut my eyes and blow and something comes out. If I do think, I usually foul everything up. It doesn’t work that way,” he added with a laugh.

Efford, who specializes in baritone saxophone and who can be heard tonight and Saturday at Monty’s Steakhouse in Woodland Hills, plays by ear, not actively following the written chord changes of a given piece. That can make for pleasurable, and challenging, situations.

“I play what I hear, I’ve always been able to, and I hope I hear nice things,” he said. “Sometimes my ear will lead me into something the other guys don’t hear, and then I’m out on a limb. But getting back can be very interesting and very creative. You can make something nice out of it.”

Efford, a man with an alternately aggressive, then warm, sound and a relaxed swing sense that makes for driving phrases, now plays baritone by default. Formerly a tenor saxophonist with such leaders as Ted Heath and Benny Goodman, he began playing the larger horn when he moved to Los Angeles in 1978. Now it almost feels natural to him.

“I have 32 instruments in there,” he said, pointing to a large closet. “They’re like children: I don’t like any one more than another. But baritone was a challenge. I had always thought and heard like a tenor saxophonist. The depth of sound appeals to me now.”

Efford, who lives in Malibu, performs with many of L.A.’s top big bands, but he rarely steps out on his own. Monty’s gives him, he said, a chance to do what he does best: “Play jazz. I can be me. I love the freedom of expression.”

At the Woodland Hills room, Efford plays with Danny Pucillo’s trio and will call tunes that he hopes people don’t hear every day, among them “Old Devil Moon,” “I Wish I Knew” and “Allen’s Alley,” the last a variant on Gershwin’s “I Got Rhythm. “On a tune like that, I’m glad to get the melody out of the way and get on with the meat of it,” which is the jazz solo, he said.

Efford will also offer some tunes associated with tenor saxophonists, such as John Green’s “Body and Soul,” immortalized by Coleman Hawkins in 1939. “I can play a tune like that until the cows come home,” Efford said, smiling.

Fans In Mind

Armand Sabal-Lecco, the extraordinary contemporary jazz bassist from Cameroon, makes sure that his music is fun for the musicians and those who come to hear it.

“What I’m doing is geared toward jazz/funk, and with this configuration, we don’t lose the groove aspect of the thing, so it’s accessible to the public,” said Sabal-Lecco, who lives in West Los Angeles and leads an all-star quartet with keyboardist Brian Auger, guitarist Frank Gambale and drummer Walfredo Reyes on Saturday at the Baked Potato in North Hollywood.

Sabal-Lecco mixes up his shows, so numbers that spotlight extended improvisations are balanced by those that accent melodies. “In a lot of bands, the melody is just an excuse to get to the solo,” he said. “That’s fun for the players, but after about three tunes, the audience is tired. That’s one thing I learned from Paul Simon: how to put together a set list.”

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Warm Guitar

Acoustic guitarist Luis Villegas offers original melodies over pulsating Latin rhythms. A native of East Los Angeles whose debut CD is called “Cafe Ole’,” Villegas is willing to take a few chances and, at times, solos with feeling. He works Saturday, 9:30 and 11:30 p.m., with his band, the United Nations, at La Ve Lee (12514 Ventura Blvd., Studio City; $5, two-drink minimum; [818] 980-8158).

BE THERE

Bob Efford plays tonight and Saturday with Danny Pucillo’s trio at Monty’s Steakhouse, 5371 Topanga Canyon Blvd., Woodland Hills. Shows are tonight, 7:30 to 11:30, and Saturday, 8:30 p.m. to 12:30 a.m. No cover, no minimum; (818) 716-9736.

Armand Sabal-Lecco plays Saturday, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m., at the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood. $10 cover, two-drink minimum; (818) 980-1615.