Guitarist Wilson Impresses Under Night Sky

Composer-guitarist Anthony Wilson’s surprising second album, “Goat Hill Junket,” was recorded last April in New York with nine East Coast musicians. On Thursday at the Skirball Cultural Center, leading a nonet of West Coast musicians in selections from it and his Grammy-nominated first album, the Los Angeles-based Wilson demonstrated how well his music travels and how important individual personalities are to his sound.

Despite his rock ‘n’ roll looks, Wilson is a jazz traditionalist who writes from the Gil Evans-Claude Thornhill school of arranging. He frames his originals and such jazz standards as “Here’s That Rainy Day” and “Stairway to the Stars” with unusual voicings from three saxes (or flute and clarinets), trumpet and trombone. He leaves plenty of space for improvisation, often his own, then colors the solos with sometimes offbeat accompaniment.

The ensemble heard Thursday was slightly less crisp and assertive than that on the new recording, giving such upbeat, blues-based numbers as “Flossie Lou,” “W-2 Blues” and “The New Fawn-Do!” a more relaxed--dare we say cool?--feel. Still, the group gave a good showing of Wilson’s orchestral approach, his classic sense of melody and often widely spaced accompanying accents.

Individuals covered for lack of ensemble heat. Character-filled solos came from alto saxophonist Louis Taylor, baritonist Jack Nimitz and trumpeter Carl Saunders, whose hot play on Lucky Thompson’s “The Parisian Knights” was the evening’s most impressive. Wilson’s own playing, which has shown steady improvement since his first CD was recorded in February 1997, was ambitiously restless, mixing quick, pensive lines with answering chordal play.

The Skirball’s horseshoe-shaped courtyard, just up the mountain from the Getty Center, served as an attractive setting, with seating for 400 on the jacaranda-lined ground level and more on a promenade that looks down on the scene and, in some places, a lily-sprinkled reflecting pool. The verdant slope of the Santa Monica Mountains and the setting moon backed the band. The sound was decent for an outdoor setting, especially in the first several rows. Only the lack of an acoustic piano (keyboardist Donald Vega played a Fender Rhodes) and a number of chatty patrons kept the venue’s hospitality from being perfect.

Free Thursday night concerts continue at the Skirball next week with the Henry Mancini Institute Jazz Quintet and Sextet joined by pianist Billy Childs.