Sam Rivers Trio Finds the Calm in Its Storm

In saxophonist Sam Rivers’ world, order follows chaos, beauty springs from cacophony. Rivers’ opening set of a six-day run with his trio at Catalina Bar & Grill on Tuesday was all about resolution. No matter how far out his mostly short, original pieces began, in the end they found their way inside to a pleasing accessibility.

Rivers has carried his reputation as a maverick since a brief stint with Miles Davis in 1964. Longer associations with pianist Cecil Taylor and bassist Dave Holland, as well as a series of distinctive recordings under his own name and with drummer Tony Williams and organist Larry Young for Blue Note in the ‘60s, cemented this distinct individualism. Whether playing tenor, soprano, flute or piano, all of which he did here, Rivers sounds like no one else.

He opened “Impromptu for You” in frantic style on soprano, backed by Doug Mathews’ fretless electric bass and drummer Anthony Cole’s part march, part shuffle, before moving into a relaxed conclusion. “Ripple,” which he described to the audience as “more traditional,” began with gently cascading soprano lines before Cole came out from behind his drums to add tenor saxophone counterpoints. Mathews joined in on bass clarinet. The three-horn free-for-all eventually dissolved into a light-hearted melody.

Rivers was prone to unsettling dynamic swings on tenor and his flute-playing carried an insistent lyricism. Even on piano, Rivers balanced freedom with control, dense, dissonant harmonics with pleasing chords. Every song found its happy ending.

* Sam Rivers Trio at Catalina Bar & Grill, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., Hollywood; tonight through Saturday at 8:30 and 10:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7:15 and 9:15 p.m. Tonight’s shows and early Friday-Sunday shows $16, late Friday-Sunday shows $14. (323) 466-2210.