Memorable Lyrics Fuel Bassist’s Passion for Standards of ‘30s and ‘40s

Words have inspired bassist Phil Mallory all his life.

In 1967, when he was just out of high school and wanted to be a writer, Mallory left New York and headed to San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury district to “get some road experience.”

Then a short story got him a scholarship to UC Santa Barbara, where he became enthralled with then-folkie Bob Dylan and country hero Hank Williams. Once again, it was the words that did it.

“Those lyrics were honest, about passion. They were something toward truth,” said Mallory.

From Hank Williams, Mallory discovered Bob Wills. “Then I found that Bob was singing the same tunes as Benny Goodman was playing,” he said.

Next came the sounds of Charlie Parker and John Coltrane, and, as he continued his journey, Mallory discovered the words and music of the ‘30s and ‘40s standards. These last songs, typified by Jerome Kern’s “The Way You Look Tonight,” (with words by Dorothy Fields) or Hoagy Carmichael’s “The Nearness of You,” (with words by Ned Washington), have remained Mallory’s favorites.

“In the quality music of the past, there was a marriage between the lyrics and melodies that enhanced both,” he said during a recent interview. “I can’t play one of those standards like ‘My Romance’ without hearing the words. And I don’t think the melodies would be so strong without them.”

Mallory, who is now a Los Angeles resident, appears Saturday and Aug. 28 at Monteleone’s West in Tarzana as part of veteran pianist Page Cavanaugh’s trio. The bassist has been with Cavanaugh for seven years; it’s been a grand experience because the pair love the same music.

“From the first tune, we really clicked, because I had listened to music before bebop and he’s a swing-era player,” Mallory said. “He’s not Bud Powell, he’s Teddy Wilson,” Mallory said, referring to the bebop and swing-era piano giants. “I love that stuff.”

Mallory is a strong player with good time and a keen sense of pitch who benefited from the series of lessons he took from ace bassist Bob Magnusson in the mid-’80s. Mallory has also long been a song freak: He’s learned the words and music to about 4,000 tunes, about half the number he estimates that Cavanaugh knows. So on a given night at Monteleone’s, the bassist, pianist and drummer Warren Nelson get to explore a wealth of older material.

“We usually do three sets, starting with older tunes associated with Page, like ‘Walking My Baby Back Home,’ ” Mallory said. “Then we’ll do some harder jazz, like ‘Yesterdays’ or a really killing tempo where we trade phrases with the drums. On the last set, we’ll do old movie themes and some obscure tunes, such as ‘Fit as a Fiddle.’ ”

If the bassist should, heaven forbid, lose his place, he can count on the words to set him straight. “It’s sort of like I have a volume control in my head,” he said. “When more musical things are happening, I’ll turn them down. Then if I need to know where I am, they instantly come back.”

* Phil Mallory appears as part of Page Cavanaugh’s trio on Saturday, 8:30 p.m.-1 a.m., at Monteleone’s West, 19337 Ventura Blvd., Tarzana. No cover; without dinner, $9.95 food/drink minimum. Information: (818) 996-0662.

*

Quick Hits: As I’ve said more than a few times, the deep, resonant alto of Pamala Feener is a joy to the ear. And it seems that with each successive appearance, there’s more maturity, more substance to her compelling takes on primarily standard material. Hear her tonight, from 7 to 11, at Ca’ Del Sole (4100 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood; no cover, no minimum; [818] 985-4669).

Pianist Lloyd Herbert has built a reputation as a dandy accompanist for vocalists. It’s nice, then, that he occasionally gets a chance to display his own wares, as he will on Saturday, 9 p.m.-1:30 a.m., at Jax (339 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale; no cover, no minimum; [818] 500-1604).

Here’s a doubleheader that’s hard to top: Frank Capp’s roaring Juggernaut big band, working in its vibrant Basie style, and Barbara Morrison with her alternately gritty, playful and moving vocals. Catch the lineup on Tuesday, 8 and 10 p.m., at the Moonlight (13730 Ventura Blvd., Sherman Oaks; $13 cover for 8 p.m. show, $9 cover for 10 p.m., $9.95 food or drink minimum; [818] 788-2000).