Don Preston Trio, the Mothers of Reinvention

Pianist Don Preston and saxophonist Bunk Gardner are veterans of wild and woolly years with Frank Zappa and the Mothers of Invention. Recently, they have been revisiting some of the classic pieces from that era in a group titled, appropriately, the Grandmothers.

Their performance at Rocco’s in Bel Air Tuesday wasn’t precisely a Mothers/Grandmothers gig, however. But it’s hard to shake off time spent in the Zappa orbit, and much of the set had the off-the-wall mix of whimsy and far-out playing that often characterized the appearance of the Mothers.

The material set the tone. Preston introduced a rendering of Cole Porter’s “I Love You,” with the description of a dog he’d seen on the Johnny Carson show who could bark, “I love you.” The interpretation was far less canine, with Preston and Gardner using the tune’s unusual opening phrase leap of a major seventh as a leitmotif throughout their improvisations.

The title of another tune, “CFO,” was a cryptic allusion to its opening segment, a melody from Bartok’s Concerto for Orchestra (CFO). Other pieces included a Preston original inspired by a Marcel Duchamp painting, blues by composer Carla Bley and pieces by avant-gardists John Carter and Bobby Bradford.

Not exactly an ordinary collection of pieces, and there were moments in which the easygoing nature of the evening (rehearsed preparation was not apparent) caused a few glitches. But for the most part the program was compelling. Preston and Gardner offered a series of strong solos, easily contrasting straight-ahead playing with self-assured romps into the outer limits of improvisational fancy. Bassist Putter Smith and drummer Alex Cline held the rhythm together with solid professional ease.