Sheldon More Hot Than Cool at Steamers Cafe

The first set from trumpeter-vocalist Jack Sheldon’s California Cool Quartet on Saturday at Steamers Cafe was more hot than cool, more East Coast than West. The live recording session before a packed house included Sheldon’s usual mix of risque gags and between-tune banter, but it also underscored the 67-year-old musician-actor’s ties to bebop.

Sheldon, who says he was inspired as a teen when he saw Dizzy Gillespie play Los Angeles’ landmark Broadway Theater, often sounded like a latter-period Gillespie, employing Dizzy-like leaps in volume when hitting certain high notes, or smearing his runs at the fastest tempos. Though his articulation may not have been sharp (Sheldon has undergone cancer surgery and suffered a badly broken wrist in the last few years), his spirit was keen.

Perched Buddha-like on a stool before two microphones, he opened with “On Green Dolphin Street,” filling his up-tempo solo with flurries, trills and bebop-styled lines. At the close of the song, he joked, “That was a little too fast for me.” Still, his trumpet solo on “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore,” introduced by his game vocal, pushed the otherwise predictable pace with bop-fired doubletimes.

Likewise, Sheldon’s supporting trio seemed more designed for heat than cool. Drummer Ray Brinker employed a no-holding-back attack, keeping the volume up and soloing on “Love for Sale” with almost rock-like abandon. Pianist Tom Ranier filled his improvisations with long, twisting lines and bop-inspired accents, complementing Sheldon’s melodies with his own lyrical style. Bassist Trey Henry’s thoroughly modern approach, replete with doublestops and sliding tones, brought an up-to-date feel to the session that meshed well with Brinker’s frequently embellished play.

While Sheldon’s trumpet playing comes from the bop tradition, his singing springs from an earlier era. He pushes his voice across the accompaniment, coasting on the vowels and never giving up on a note until he’s hit it just right. His phrasing, equal parts Bing Crosby and Hoagy Carmichael, has a supremely natural feel, even though his tone is filled with effort. Just when you think he’s reached the limits of his range, his voice climbs a step higher.

Between songs, Sheldon cracked wise about Steamers’ waitresses and a trip to Mexico. He even invited, sight unseen, a student vocalist in town for the Fullerton College Jazz Festival to celebrate her 18th birthday singing “You’d Be So Nice to Come Home To” with his trio. It’s doubtful her performance, like many of Sheldon’s quips, will make it onto the trumpeter’s upcoming “Live at Steamers” recording.