Two Light Touches With the Baritone Sax

Nick Brignola describes playing his chosen instrument, the burly baritone saxophone, with this analogy: “It’s like entering an elephant to run in the Kentucky Derby,” he deadpans. “And the elephant wins.”

In a phone call from his home in upstate New York, the 62-year-old Brignola, who plays a series of double baritone concerts next week with 77-year-old “bari” innovator Cecil Payne at the Jazz Bakery, says he came to the cumbersome horn, like Payne and many others, through the alto saxophone.

“The local music store didn’t have an alto to loan me while mine was in the shop, so the owner gave me a baritone instead. He told me, ‘You play it the same way. Just blow harder.’ I couldn’t wait to get my alto back.”

But reaction to the baritone was so strong that Brignola decided to stick with it. In a remarkable career that’s seen him record with everyone from Dizzy Gillespie to Itzhak Perlman, Brignola has gained a reputation as one of the more ambitious practitioners of his instrument. He’s consistently embraced a wide range of material while applying free jazz turns to bebop and mainstream tunes. His latest album, “Spring Is Here” (Koch Jazz), pits him against the 61-piece Netherlands Metropole Orchestra.

“I’ve always heard the baritone in a different way than most players,” he says. He cites Payne, who began playing baritone in 1946, as an influence. “Cecil didn’t sound like most players. He had that light, melodic style.”

Payne came out of Dizzy Gillespie’s late-’40s big band to associate with a huge list of notables including Tadd Dameron, Illinois Jacquet, Duke Jordan and Randy Weston. He and Brignola first met in 1968, when Payne was appearing with pianist Weston’s band at New York’s Cafe Bohemia. Brignola included Payne and fellow baritonist Ronnie Cuber on his 1979 Bee Hive recording “Burn Brigade.”

Payne, who has made only two California appearances in the ‘90s, both in San Francisco, will lead the band in a five-day run that opens Tuesday. The New Jersey-based saxophonist has a new Delmark release, “Payne’s Window,” that features his East coast sextet. Here, he’ll work with Brignola, pianist Jon Mayer, drummer Joe LaBarbera and, substituting for an ailing Andy Simpkins, bassist Putter Smith.

Though Payne struggles with poor health and vision problems, Brignola says he’s sounding as enthusiastic as any time he’s heard him. “He’s not in the best physical shape right now. But when he plays, he still has tremendous heart.”

Jazz Bakery information: (310) 271-9039.

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MP3 Jazz: What does MP3 technology, the digital compression process that allows home computer users to download music from Internet sources, mean for jazz? Plenty, say some independent and self-produced jazz label owners.

Though most acknowledge that a few kinks need to be worked out before they can start delivering their product for a price via the Internet, many are eagerly anticipating the day it will help them bypass record stores.

“I’ve literally been waiting years for this,” says saxophonist Dale Fielder, who issues his own CDs on his Clarion Jazz label. “In the last several years, I’ve gone to Blue Note and different [record companies] without luck. When this happens, we’ll no longer be at the mercy of the big labels. And they’re dreading it. We’ll be able to put out our own music and distribute it ourselves, worldwide.”

For now, MP3, MP4 and similar technologies give small labels an audible presence on the Internet, allowing listeners to download individual numbers or song samples free of charge. The practice introduces unfamiliar artists to new listeners and provides an incentive to order the entire recording.

Cryptogramophone Records, the Venice-based label with releases from drummer Alex Cline and percussionist Jeanette Wrate, gives listeners the chance to download, at no charge, 30-second audio “postcards” from its two-album catalog as well as selected full-length numbers.

“At this point, it’s just a way to get the music out there to people who might otherwise not hear about it,” says Jeff Gauthier, president of Cryptogramophone, whose Web site contains ordering information and links to other independent labels.

Others are taking a wait-and-see approach. “I’d love to be involved at this point,” says Vinny Golia of 9 Winds Records, a label that has issued some 120 alternative and progressive jazz recordings in the last 22 years. “But I’m also scared. I was reluctant to move to CDs when they first came out.”

Nor does Golia, who’s considering the possibility of making a series of live concert recordings available on MP3, believe that the technology will ultimately help the smaller labels. “What I think might happen is that, when everyone gets into it, there will be an incredible glut of material to choose from. And the major labels will win out again, because they’ll be better able to advertise and get people to their Web sites than the independents.”

Stay tuned.

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Playboy Change: Pete Escovedo’s Orchestra will replace Juan DeMarcos’ Afro-Cuban All Stars on June 13 in the second day of the Playboy Jazz Festival at the Hollywood Bowl. Playboy organizers say DeMarcos had to cancel due to an illness in his family. Information: (310) 449-4070.

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MOCA Season: The free “Summer Nights at MOCA” jazz series kicks off at the Geffen Contemporary in Little Tokyo on June 3 with the sextet of longtime Horace Tapscott bassist Roberto Miranda. Highlights of the weekly Thursday night series include saxophonist George Coleman on June 17, the Bobby Matos Afro-Latin Jazz Ensemble on July 1 and pianist Alan Broadbent’s trio July 29. On Aug. 5, the series moves to the sculpture garden at MOCA with pianist Gerald Wiggins’ trio. Other dates include pianist Barry Harris on Aug. 26, drummer Winard Harper on Sept. 2 and saxophonist Charles Lloyd on Sept. 9. The series ends Sept. 30 with pan-American jazz band Tolu.

MOCA has produced a limited-edition CD of live recordings from last year’s series, including performances from Lloyd, Matos, Harris, singer Ernie Andrews, drummer Billy Higgins and others, available at the MOCA store. Proceeds go to support the jazz series. Information: (213) 633-5334.

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More Bootstrap: The Bootstrap Creative Emergence Festival from June 11 to 13 at the Electric Lodge in Venice has added headliner Anthony Davis, the New York-based avant-garde composer and pianist, to its roster of some 30 progressive jazz, world music and otherwise eclectic ensembles. Information: (323) 692-8080.