Coleman Shines in Uneven Show

George Coleman is a talented, veteran tenor saxophonist with fast fingers, a quick imagination and a powerful sense of swing. He also receives far less recognition than he deserves--he is best known, perhaps, for his brief but impressive stint with Miles Davis in the early ‘60s.

On Tuesday at the Jazz Bakery, in the opening performance of a six-night run, he experienced some of the consequences of high talent and low visibility. Like most players who occupy a less than top-level niche, he was obliged to perform with a local rhythm section rather than his own ensemble--a simple corollary of jazz economics. And the results, despite the unquestioned skills of the accompanying Ralph Penland Trio, often had the uneven quality of a random jam session.

In his better moments, Coleman fully justified his reputation as a solid jazz artist. Obviously working without the benefit of rehearsal or a predetermined lineup of tunes, Coleman brought a much-needed sense of structure to some of the numbers by opening with unaccompanied solo passages before bringing in the rhythm section. The result was an opportunity to hear the 63-year-old tenor saxophonist in the clearest possible fashion--and what emerged was a highly original-sounding jazz voice, rendered via lines that continually reached for unusual harmonic connections and a supple tone stretching from a foggy bottom to pure upper-horn harmonics.

Coleman’s interaction with his accompanists was more problematic. Too often, confusion over what tune to play, at what tempo and in what sequence seemed to reign.

But both Coleman and the Penland trio (with the leader on drums, John B. Williams on bass and Greg Kurstin on piano), one hopes, are too professional to allow the opening-night uncertainties to continue through the week. And, as the closing numbers of the evening seemed to imply, a further integration of musical ideas and attitudes will provide the opportunity to hear the real essence of Coleman’s skills.

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* George Coleman with the Ralph Penland Trio at the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City, through Sunday. (310) 271-9039. Admission today and Sunday at 8:30 and 10 p.m. is $18; on Friday and Saturday at 8:30 and 10 p.m., $20.