Redfield’s Sextet as Smooth as Six-String

It would be easy to take guitarist Bobby Redfield for granted. After all, the Laguna Hills resident and longtime Cal Tjader associate appears frequently at various Orange County clubs (he’ll be at Steamers Cafe in Fullerton on Sept. 3) leading one of the most dependable jazz and Latin combos in Southern California.

Thursday, Redfield was at Odessa Supper Club in Laguna Beach, opening with a reserved first set designed to sit well with the dinner crowd, then moving into a more dynamic second set that included tunes from Chi Chi Rodriguez, Chano Pozo and, of course, Tjader. Though the tone of the two sets was decidedly different, the quality and feeling imparted to each number was identical.

Consistency should be expected with a band that plays this much. Most of the members of Redfield’s sextet--flutist Tomas Casey, drummer Steve Gutierrez, pianist Quinn Johnson, bassist Ernie Nunez--have worked with him at least four years. Warren Ontiveros, a conga player and member of respected Cuban percussionist Francisco Aguabella’s ensemble, appeared with Redfield for the first time. “Nacho,” as Warren prefers to be known, seamlessly replaced Redfield’s longest associate, percussionist Ron Powell, who was out on tour with Kenny G.

The ballads of the first set--”Night and Day” and “I Thought About You”--served to demonstrate Redfield’s way of using different approaches for different material. On these slow tunes, the guitarist showed extreme patience, letting his accompaniment dress the space between his lines, sometimes waiting until the last moment to fill in the expected bit of melody.

At the end of the first set, the band as well as the audience (many of whom were squirming in their seats, apparently dying to salsa) could no longer contain themselves. Redfield upped the rhythmic ante with his own “One for Cal,” a sprightly piece that showcased Casey’s dancing flute and Redfield’s insistent guitar.

Redfield’s Tjader connections (he spent most of the ‘70s with the revered vibraphonist-band leader who died in 1982) serve him well. He opened the second set with Tjader’s “Mindanao,” a mambo in which he sculpted long, speedy lines, piled on two-note, octave-spaced chords in the style of Wes Montgomery and even added a blues touch or two. On “Chi Chi’s Cha Cha,” his sound fairly bubbled against the rhythm section. On the Dave Mackay ballad “Here,” he played quietly yet quickly.

The surprise of the evening was pianist Johnson. Not yet 30, the Fountain Valley resident encompassed a number of styles in his play, adding sharply repeated chords and occasional classically influenced lines. His ascending entry into his solo on “One for Cal” lifted off perfectly from the end of Redfield’s guitar improvisation, then sailed effortlessly through the rhythm.

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Nacho, Nunez and Gutierrez struck grooves, whether mambo, salsa or cha-cha, that varied in texture yet kept a consistent pulse. Gutierrez (the husband of popular local vocalist Stephanie Haynes) kept to reserved sonic levels in the small dining room, but that didn’t compromise what he played. Nunez soloed with an ear for both rhythm and melody, and his ensemble play made harmonic contributions even as it landed in counterpoint to the percussion.

This is a band equally good for dancing and listening. An earlier flier from Odessa had the group scheduled upstairs in Odessa’s spacious loft-ballroom. Judging by the number of fans doing cha-chas in their chairs downstairs Thursday, it might be a good idea next time to move Redfield up to the dance floor.