A Maverick Pays Tribute to Gershwin in His Own Way

At a glance, the titles of saxophonist-composer Bennie Wallace’s last few recordings--”The Old Songs,” “Someone to Watch Over Me”--seem to signal a turn from his maverick reputation. The latter, a tribute to the music of George Gershwin with pianist Mulgrew Miller, bassist Peter Washington and drummer Yoron Israel, is a studio date that sprung from Wallace’s all-Gershwin appearances with the same rhythm section at the Jazz Bakery in May 1998.

But fans of Wallace’s often outrageous melodies should not despair. A listen to the recently released Gershwin tribute reveals Wallace’s highly personal style and no-holds-barred approach fully intact as he turns even the most familiar number, including “The Man I Love” and “Nice Work If You Can Get It,” into something completely of his own making.

Unlike most saxophonists of his generation, Wallace seems to have skipped over Wayne Shorter, Joe Henderson and John Coltrane (he claims Coltrane, along with Sonny Rollins, as youthful influences), instead working from the spirit if not sound of Ben Webster, Don Byas, Lester Young and others of that period, all filtered though the improvisational spirit of ‘60s expressionist Albert Ayler.

“Playing those kinds of songs is what my whole musical life is about,” Wallace says by phone during a visit to his native Tennessee. “Go back and look at the raft of original compositions I’ve recorded and you’ll see that they’re based on old song forms: ‘Stella by Starlight,’ ‘It Could Happen to You,’ ‘Back Home Again in Indiana.’ ”

The Gershwin disc marks a return to Wallace’s association with the German label Enja, with which he first recorded in 1977, fronting a trio with bassist Eddie Gomez and drummer Eddie Moore. (His previous two releases, “The Old Songs” and “Bennie Wallace Featuring Tommy Flanagan, Eddie Gomez and Alvin Queen,” are from the San Clemente-based audiophile label Audioquest Music.) Other Enja albums, the ones that helped earn him the maverick reputation, included appearances from pianist Chick Corea, drummer Elvin Jones and guitarist John Scofield. Wallace’s 1985 Blue Note recording, the wild and woolly “Twilight Town” (he did two albums for the label) included Dr. John and Stevie Ray Vaughan.

In the last several years, Wallace has been called in to write music for films including “White Men Can’t Jump,” “Bull Durham” and the 1997 Academy Award-nominated short “Little Surprises,” directed by actor and sometimes jazz pianist Jeff Goldblum. Currently, his work can be heard on the Showtime network series “Hoop Life.”

Despite his love for classic tunes, Wallace isn’t your typical traditionalist. “The repertory kind of thing, that’s not what I’m about,” he says. “I played in a repertory band 20 years ago, and I learned a lot about music doing it. But I don’t know if what we played approached the value of the original music. And I feel the same way about the revivalist music I’m hearing today.”

Has Wallace, known to be outspoken about the state of the recording industry and jazz at large, mellowed since his first days on Enja? “When you’re a young musician, you aspire to be a great improviser like Rollins or Coltrane. But as I’ve matured, melody has become more and more important. I find myself listening to the great ballad players--Ben Webster, Coleman Hawkins, Johnny Hodges, people like that. Part of playing great melodies is learning to play great melodies out of the tradition.”

Big Band: When trumpeter-fluegelhornist Tom Harrell opens a four-day run Thursday at the Jazz Bakery, he’ll be working with a 17-piece orchestra pulled from the ranks of Southern California’s finest musicians. The list includes pianist Billy Childs, saxophonist Ralph Moore, drummer Marvin “Smitty” Smith, bassist Kenny Davis and trombonist Mike Fahn. They’ll be playing selections from Harrell’s latest release, “Times Mirror” (BMG), a collection of Harrell-arranged originals and standards for big band, recorded in March in New York (both Davis and Fahn are heard in the East Coast band that recorded the CD). Information: (310) 271-9039.

Benefit: The Los Angeles Jazz Society will hold its biannual “Jazzgiving” event Dec. 5 at the Musicians Union at 817 N. Vine St. in Hollywood. Performers include the Frank Capp Juggernaut with singer Ernie Andrews, pianist Gerald Wiggins’ trio, the Los Angeles High School of the Arts Jazz Choir directed by Pat Bass, and others. Admission is $15 or the donation of a band instrument in good or repairable condition (those donating instruments also receive a year’s membership in the society). The program was begun in 1995 to replace instruments lost in the Washington Preparatory High School fire and, according to the society, has since collected $250,000 in instruments and funds for Los Angeles-area music programs. Information: (323) 469-6800.

Last Call: The Dec. 5 presentation of the Open Gate Theatre’s Sunday Evening Concert series will be its last at the Pasadena Shakespeare Company Theatre in the Pasadena Mall. (The mall is scheduled for major renovation early next year.) A new location is being sought. Appearing Dec. 5 will be drummer Chris Garcia’s ensemble, Quaretto Nuevo, and Bob Marthex, a trio consisting of percussionists Chris Wabich and Brad Dutz and bassist Anders Swanson. Information: (626) 795-4989.

Free Jazz: Saxophonist Dale Fielder leads his quartet and also unveils a new trio tonight at the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, 5:30 p.m. Information: (323) 857-6000.

Look Ahead: Here’s a date to mark on your 2000 jazz calendar. UCLA’s Student Committee for the Arts is presenting a tribute to drummer Billy Higgins at Royce Hall on Jan. 14. Performances from pianist Geri Allen, saxophonist Charles Lloyd, guitarist Kenny Burrell and others are scheduled, with more to be announced. Information: (310) 825-5562.