Clayton Strikes an Appealing Balance

Saxophonist Jeff Clayton may be the less visible of the two Clayton brothers. But, like his bass-playing sibling John, he is a co-leader of the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra, and will surely become better known to a wider audience when the ensemble begins its prominent participation in the Hollywood Bowl jazz programs in the summer of 1999.

In the meantime, Clayton can be heard in the occasional but always impressive performances with his own small groups. On Saturday night at Steamers Cafe in Fullerton, he revealed some of the qualities that make him such an appealing performer.

Clayton’s style hearkens to an era in which saxophonists were obliged to perform both as soloists and as members of a section of instrumentalists. And alto saxophonists--especially lead altos--were expected to balance the smooth tones required for section work with the more upfront, outgoing sound expected from a soloist.

Clayton is fully capable of doing both. But his small-group work--with a quartet, in this case--is often given a richer quality by his use of the lush timbres he employs as lead alto player with the Clayton-Hamilton Jazz Orchestra. In a spontaneous medley of Christmas tunes, for example, performed with the sole accompaniment of pianist Bill Cunliffe, Clayton delivered “The Christmas Song” with the sweet lyricism of a jazz vocalist. Then, adding a touch of rhythm and a sprinkling of whimsy, he romped through “White Christmas,” aided immensely by Cunliffe’s humorous insertion of occasional funk rhythms.

On other tunes--Milt Jackson’s “Bluesology” and the standards “Summertime” and “If I Should Lose You”--the full quartet (with drummer Rob Perkins and bassist Miles Mosely) came together in a fashion fully demonstrating the quality of jazz that can be produced by players who clearly enjoy interacting musically with each other.

The full-house audience, filled with more young listeners than one generally encounters at Los Angeles’ jazz venues, responded enthusiastically to the music. It may be a bit of a trek from the Valley or the Westside to Steamers, but the club--with its first-rate programming and modest admission charge--is well worth a closer look.

Steamers Cafe, 138 W. Commonwealth Ave., Fullerton. Scheduling changes nightly. Information: (714) 871-8800.