Pianist James Leads Trio in Minimalist Approach

Bob James promised to show up in a largely unplugged setting Tuesday night for the start of his five-night run at Catalina Bar & Grill. And he was as good as his word.

Although he had an electronic keyboard perched on top of the piano, he used it rarely in his opening set, with bassist James Genus switching occasionally back and forth between acoustic and electric instruments. Other than that, the program was essentially unplugged.

But “unplugged” does not mean disconnected from the contemporary style that has been essential to James’ music for the past two decades. Most of his numbers, in fact, traced either to his current Warner Bros. album, “Playin’ Hookey,” or previous outings such as “Grand Piano Canyon.”

“I decided,” James said, “to try shifting some of the stuff that was recorded in a different instrumentation and with a lot of studio-type construction, and reduce it down to just the acoustic piano mode.”

The results were, for the most, executed with precision--attractive, minimal renderings of his more densely textured studio-created works. And, for the full-house audience, it was more than enough to generate enthusiastic response.

It was apparent, however, that the task of almost one-handedly resetting the pieces via his acoustic keyboard tended to shift James’ focus away from the open spaces of improvisation. A good pianist, he touched all the bases in his sometimes demanding works--all the little filigree melodic figures, the brisk rhythmic starts and stops, the floating harmonies.

But when the solo sections arrived, when Genus and drummer Billy Kilson finally had the opportunity to dig into some propulsive funk rhythms, James sounded surprisingly languid. Seemingly content to play little riff-like melodies and lightly textured chords, he rarely broke out with the kind of richer jazz content he was once so capable of producing. And it was not until a climactic blues number that he finally managed to free himself from the too-limiting framework of his contemporary style.

James could not have asked for better support from his accompanists. Genus’ backings, in general, and his soloing, in particular, were first-rate, and Kilson--especially in one turbulent solo--revealed himself as one of the finest of the new young drummers.

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* The Bob James Trio at Catalina Bar & Grill through Saturday, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., (213) 466-2210. $18 cover tonight, $20 cover Friday and Saturday, with two-drink minimum. The trio performs two shows nightly.