Rediscovering Talent

When I first heard Jonathan Dane about five years ago, he played with fire and emotion. Then I lost track of him.

I checked out Dane again last Thursday in the lounge at Papashon in Encino. Although the lounge didn’t allow for freewheeling blowing, Dane still sounded first-rate, as both a singer and a trumpeter. He delivered meaningful expositions that visibly moved listeners.

At moments, while I watched this performance by a fine youthful artist with a matinee-idol face (“A lot of people tell me I look like Chet Baker”), I felt as though I was in a New York food-and-jazz haunt like Zinno.

Dane performs at Papashon tonight (and Dec. 19 and 26), working with a fine quartet that includes Jeff Babko, piano; Chris Colangelo, bass; and Jason Harnell, drums.

He told me he’d been out of the scene for a while, which is why fans hadn’t heard from him.

Three years ago, he said, he found he needed a break because he was concerned about the direction his life was headed. Prior to taking the hiatus, some recording prospects had fallen through, he said, and he was involved in a not completely satisfying experiment with crossover jazz. “So I put my music aside,” said the 32-year-old Dane. “I did the occasional casual gig, and some teaching. But I didn’t play.”

That was a tough period for Dane. He read a good deal, mostly religion and philosophy; but found it increasingly difficult to fight the depression that had crept in. Then last year, Dane lost his father, a Baptist minister to whom he was quite close. Dane had to write music for the funeral, and in the process, the depression lifted. He’s been playing ever since.

“I’m really loving it,” said Dane. “It feels great to be back with my buddies. I’m excited, on fire. I’m ready to go.”

Still, not everything’s easy for the musician. Rendering a jazz tune with his Woody Shaw-Clifford Brown-influenced style is one thing; singing a deeply personal original song like “I Would Have Loved You,” about a relationship gone south, is another.

“Taking listeners into your world touches something very special in me,” said Dane. “But it can be terrifying. There you are, sharing things that are extremely personal with total strangers. It’s been a struggle for me.”

Dane is a native of Kalamazoo, Mich., who moved to Southern California in 1965 and now lives in Thousand Oaks. He studied his craft at both North Texas State University (now University of North Texas) and with Dick Grove. And though he has been a singer his whole life and began playing trumpet at age 11, clearly the musical road has not always been smooth.

But Dane ultimately sees music as something positive, for both musician and listener. “Music should enhance our lives,” he said. “No matter what, I try to give it an aesthetic quality. I want some sort of beauty represented by it.”

* Jonathan Dane appears tonight, 7:30 to 11 p.m., at Papashon, 15910 Ventura Blvd., Encino. No cover, no minimum. Call (818) 783-6664.

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Big Band Mondays: Monday has long been the traditional night for big band events. We now have two such happenings in our midst. First, there’s Jack Ranelli’s big band, which was at Chadney’s but now appears, until further notice, on Mondays from 8 p.m. to midnight at the Money Tree (10149 Riverside Drive, Toluca Lake; no cover, no minimum; (818) 769-8800.

Chuck Flores, the snappy drummer known for his big band work with Woody Herman, has the large ensemble slot at Chadney’s for the time being. He and his solid ensemble play Monday (and Dec. 22 and 29), from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. (3000 W. Olive St., Burbank; no cover, one drink minimum per show; (818) 843-5333.

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Quick Hits: Guitar legend George Van Eps, inventor of the seven-string guitar and an ageless swinger, works Chadney’s tonight, 9 p.m. to 1 a.m.

Conga drummer Poncho Sanchez, who always makes the music--and the listeners--move, lights things up Friday, 9:30 and 11:30 p.m., at La Ve Lee (12514 Ventura Boulevard, Studio City; cover charge, $10, two drink minimum; (818) 980-8158. On Wednesday, Otmaro Ruiz, who’s been heard of late with trumpet whiz Arturo Sandoval and others, plays the club. $5 cover.