Feeding the Spirit

Veteran jazz saxophonist-flutist Harold Bennett has been in love with music since he was a preteen in Houston. When he plays, his goal is to spread the joy around.

“I want to feel good about playing and feel that someone will get something out of it besides me,” he said. “For me, music is more about love than it is about riches, but it’s nice if they come. I really just want to feed my spirit and feed somebody else’s spirit, too.”

Bennett will play Monday and next Friday in the lounge at Ca’ Del Sole in North Hollywood.

The alto and soprano saxophonist works with either pianist Art Hillery, who will accompany him Monday, or Louis Ball, who will play with him Friday, and bassist Sherry Luchiette.

The appealing program of standards, ballads and blues is selected on the spur of the moment.

“I don’t go with a set list,” said Bennett, who lives in North Hollywood and has worked with such big-league artists as organist Jimmy McGriff and blues man Bobby “Blue” Bland in the ‘60s.

“I choose what tunes to play based on what I feel, and what seems appropriate as the evening goes on.”

Songs such as “Lover Man” and “Lover Come Back to Me” are balanced by the blues.

“Man, if you can’t play the blues, you can’t play jazz,” he said. “I love ballads, love the beauty that’s in them. A ballad has good emotion, good color. You can let your mind just drift in any direction, play things that people haven’t heard, or at least not the way I do it.”

Bennett will continue to perform at Ca’ Del Sole the first Friday and last Tuesday of each month.

Briefly: Catch solid singer Jim Britt and pianist John Wood tonight from 8 to midnight at Ca’ del Sole.

The raucous but ever-inventive electric guitar whiz Allan Holdsworth will paper the walls with alluring sounds when he plays tonight and Saturday from 9 p.m. to 1 a.m. at the Baked Potato, 3787 Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood. (818) 980-1615.

Drummer Danny Pucillo, a hearty swinger with a new CD, leads his quartet tonight from 9 to 1:30 a.m. at Jax, 339 N. Brand Blvd., Glendale. (818) 500-1604.

BE THERE

Harold Bennett plays Monday from 7 to 11 p.m. and next Friday from 8 p.m. to midnight at Ca’ Del Sole, 4100 N. Cahuenga Blvd., North Hollywood. No cover, no minimum. (818) 985-4669.

Zan Stewart writes about jazz for the Valley Edition. He can be reached at Zansky@AOL.com.