Guitar Veteran Still Full of Pluck at 78

Mundell Lowe, a jazz guitarist with a lovely, bell-clear tone and a winsome, melodic style, has had a deeply rewarding 50-plus-year career.

He’s performed with such giants as saxophonists Charlie “Bird” Parker and Lester “Prez” Young and singers Ella Fitzgerald and Billie Holiday. He’s been a leader of small bands since the 1950s, and he was once a member of the Great Guitars with Herb Ellis and the late Charlie Byrd.

The spry 78-year-old still works regularly here and in Europe. He will perform Monday at Rocco in Bel-Air.

In a recent conversation, Lowe looked back at his early years in New York and said that what might have seemed to some like making history was, in retrospect, just good employment. “Bird, Prez, Ella, Lady Day, myself, all we were trying to do was pay the bills,” said the Laurel, Miss., native who lives near San Diego with his wife, the singer and author Betty Bennett.

“In the early ‘50s, I’d work at Birdland and get $15 a night, which was a lot of money then. I was lucky to have been at the right places at the right times.”

Later, Lowe mixed work as a jazzman--he fronted a trio that included the innovative pianist Bill Evans and was often heard at Cafe Society, a principal New York City jazz room--with stints as a studio guitarist, backing everyone from Elvis Presley to Paul Anka.

The latter wasn’t music he much admired, but it too helped pay the rent. He moved to Los Angeles in 1965 and found a spot in the studio world, writing and performing on soundtracks to numerous motion pictures. All the while, he kept his jazz chops sharp.

They remain that way today and can be heard on his new CD, “When Lights Are Lowe.”

BE THERE

Mundell Lowe plays Monday from 9:30 p.m.-12:30 a.m. at Rocco Ristorante, 2930 Beverly Glen Circle, Bel-Air. No cover, no minimum. Call (310) 475-9807.

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