Carno Hits Right Note at BASS Banquet

First she played Beethoven. Then she played the blues.

Pianist Zita Carno of the Los Angeles Philharmonic gave a lesson in the value of a well-rounded education to a most appropriate audience Sunday at Gustaf Anders Restaurant in Santa Ana. Performing at the eighth annual scholarship awards and fund-raising banquet for BASS, Better Advantages for Students and Society, Carno demonstrated that having broad knowledge comes in handy.

BASS is the brainchild of Art Davis, the Orange Coast College instructor and bassist known for his work with jazz greats John Coltrane, Art Blakey and Max Roach, as well as with the New York Philharmonic and others. Davis, with a degree from the Juilliard School, went on to get his doctoral degree in clinical psychology from New York University.

The scholarships are designed to encourage continuing education. One was awarded in Davis’ name, and two in the name of his late wife, Gladys Davis.

Carno, who just returned from the Philharmonic’s summer tour of Europe--”Never again,” the pianist quipped to the audience, “too many one-night stands”--played Beethoven’s Piano Sonata No. 9 in E, Opus 14/1 with an ear to dynamic changes and an enlivened way of emphasizing the emotion of each phrase. The good-natured pianist made a strong technical and expressive impression that was heightened by the intimacy of the restaurant’s cozy quarters.

And when it was announced that vocalist Barbara Morrison’s scheduled accompanist, George Gaffney, was unable to attend, Carno remained at the keyboard, this time to support Morrison in a short set of blues and ballads. Joining the group were drummer Donald Dean and saxophonist and longtime Mercer Ellington colleague Charles Owens, with Davis on bass.

The unrehearsed set that followed found Carno switching hats easily. While her playing may not have meshed with Morrison’s voice as smoothly as that of someone familiar with Morrison’s rhythmically challenging style, Carno provided appropriate accents, embellishing trills and the occasional extended chords that suggested her classical background. There were even times when she sounded a bit like Oscar Peterson.

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Carno is not entirely unfamiliar with jazz. As a friend of Davis’ in New York in the early 1960s, she was introduced to John Coltrane and spent much time, Davis told the audience, transcribing the saxophonist’s solos for piano. Her performance here made the perfect object lesson for an organization that promotes varied and continuing education.

Bassist Davis and drummer Dean kept the proceedings on track with a solid pulse. Owens, one of the area’s most outgoing saxophonists, stayed mostly in the background, taking the rare, uncluttered moment to add riffs and blues touches.

Morrison, certainly one of the most accomplished jazz vocalists based in Los Angeles, gave her usual engaging performance, getting chummy with the crowd as she interpreted Ellington and Gershwin, and showing characteristic abandon when she sang the blues. Her natural way with scat and her sharp sense of swing made it clear why Morrison is one of the finest purveyors of the tradition established by Sarah Vaughn and Carmen McRae.

Earlier in the afternoon, the Dr. Art Davis Scholarship was awarded to Joanna Malfatti, a third-year music major at Orange Coast College. The Gladys Davis Memorial Scholarships, given to students pursuing medical degrees, were awarded to Noemi Gutierrez and Joycelyn Gordon, both students at Charles R. Drew School of Medicine in Los Angeles.

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Corey Scribner, a business administration student at Cal State Fullerton and winner of Art Davis’ 1993 scholarship, won BASS’ continuing achievement award.

For more information on BASS, call (949) 646-1177, or https://www.posi-tone.com/artdavis.