Saxophonist Brignola Teams With His Inspiration, Delivers

Baritone saxophonist Nick Brignola opened his “Be-Bop Baritone Explosion!” set at the Jazz Bakery Wednesday night with a description of Cecil Payne, his partner for the week, as his “inspiration.” And when the two players, both masters of the brawny, dark-toned baritone instrument, dug into bebop and the blues, the connection was easy to see.

Payne, 76, has been a busy jazz artist since his early years with the legendary big bop band led by Dizzy Gillespie in the ‘40s. Despite his far-ranging activities and high regard among musicians, however, he has never been particularly well-known, even to the jazz audience.

Although Payne’s chops clearly were not what they used to be, his imagination and his sheer sense of swing were fully present in everything he played. On the closing blues, for example, he exhibited the kind of drive and emotion that characterized the soloing of saxophonists who--in the ‘40s and ‘50s--were not embarrassed to pepper their choruses with honks and crowd-pleasing riffing.

Brignola, 62, has also had an underappreciated career, even though he was prominent with the Woody Herman orchestra and has recorded an abundance of albums under his own name. An obvious follower, not just of Payne, but also of the brawny, note-filled style pioneered by Pepper Adams, he played solo after solo filled with virtuosic explorations of the horn. There were times, in fact, when his choruses--adroit and articulate as they were--would have benefited from more breathing room, from a perception of music as both sounds and silences.

The baritone pair were beautifully served by the rhythm section of pianist Jon Mayer, drummer Joe LaBarbera and bassist Putter Smith (replacing Andy Simpkins, who passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday). Although the performance obviously took place with virtually no preparation, the interaction between the rhythm team and the horn players was impressive. And a piano-bass-drums trio version of “Like Someone in Love” was one of the highlights of the evening, providing a particularly good look at Mayer’s effective combination of musical intelligence and straight-ahead swing.

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* Cecil Payne-Nick Brignola “Be-Bop Baritone Explosion!” at the Jazz Bakery through Saturday. 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City. (310) 271-9039. $20 admission tonight and Saturday at 8 and 9:30 p.m.