Trio’s Llew Matthews Leads as Well as He Follows

Accompanists don’t always play second fiddle. A few emerge from the shadow of those they accompany.

Some, like longtime Tony Bennett pianist Ralph Sharon, have highly visible positions that give them well-deserved exposure. Others--like the late Jimmie Rowles, who accompanied Billie Holiday, Peggy Lee and Ella Fitzgerald, among others--have such talent that they are recognized as geniuses and leaders in their own right.

Pianist Llew Matthews, who fronted a trio Saturday at Spaghettini, has similar qualifications. He’s spent the last dozen years as Nancy Wilson’s pianist. On his own, he’s an engaging, imaginative keyboardist.

Matthews brought some of the same skills that make him a successful accompanist to his performance at the Seal Beach club, showing a good ear and responsiveness to his bassist and drummer while making sweeping, harmonically ambitious statements of his own.

There was a devil-may-care abandon to his play, and he was frequently heard to attempt difficult runs, often impressively successful, when he might have taken a safe way out.

Even on requests from the audience, Matthews added personal touches, presenting “Bluesette” as a swirling waltz and capturing the sense of funk in Horace Silver’s “Song for My Father.”

When Matthews got into a standard, he moved around inside it as familiarly as a kid runs through his own house.

With bassist Tom Gargano and drummer James Gadson, Matthews found swing in Stevie Wonder’s jazz-friendly “Isn’t She Lovely?,” decorating it with percussive play and sweeping dynamics. Matthews expressed gospel fever behind Gadson’s vocal on “Every Day I Have the Blues.”

The loose yet confident feel of the performance brought plenty of unexpected call-and-response--as when Matthews echoed the line from “The Grand Canyon Suite” that Gadson had used to embellish his vocal--and quotes of lines from other songs, often with a holiday theme.

Gadson’s lounge-savvy vocal, complete with Leon Thomas-like warbles, gave a touch of flawed humor to “My Secret Love.”

The drummer-vocalist rocked out (albeit in controlled, piano-trio fashion) when singing “Every Day I Have the Blues.” Restrained drumming gave “This Can’t Be Love” a beat-heavy feel. Gadson’s brushwork, usually in service of Gargano’s inventive bass solos, was capable of stirring up trouble.

Not all was fun and games. The trio’s modal riff on “Harlem Nocturne” generated a propulsive moodiness that carried a December chill. It was graced by one of Matthews’ more thoughtful solos, which built quietly before climaxing in a single sweeping gesture.