Green’s Trio Needs More Than 4-to-the-Bar

Benny Green is a pianist with speed to burn, a rich sense of harmony and an unerringability to swing. It’s no surprise that Oscar Peterson selected him as a protege in the early ‘90s or that he was, for a few years, a vital member of the Ray Brown trio.

But the group Green brought to Catalina Bar & Grill Tuesday for the opening set in a six-night run was perplexing. His past trios have generally been superb, notably the ensemble including bassist Christian McBride and drummer Carl Allen.

In this case, however, Green elected to use a pair of young players, guitarist Randy Napoleon and bassist Brandon Owens. The instrumentation was not unlike that of Peterson’s classic trios with Joe Pass and Ray Brown (or Niels-Henning Orsted Pedersen), which may be the model Green had in mind.

The similarities ended there, however. Green’s stylistic approach with his trio was oriented toward the swing era, specifically to the sort of rhythm-section approach typified by guitarist Freddie Green’s (no relation) work with Count Basie. That is, with a continued four-beats-to-the-bar strum from Napoleon’s guitar.

Nothing wrong with this sort of rhythmic approach, of course. It worked well enough for Basie. But juxtaposed against Green’s hard-hitting, bop-driven style, it often sounded out of context. In a number such as “Someone to Watch Over Me,” it worked, in part as a contrast to Green’s rhapsodic opening solo piano segment. But in in Carl Perkins’ “Grooveyard” and Green’s own “Naturally,” one had the feeling of two opposing styles attempting, with marginal success, to fit together.

Unfortunately, this lack of stylistic integration tended to undermine some otherwise first-rate playing. Green, as always, was a wonder, his brilliant technique underscored by his irresistible sense of swing. Napoleon, although a bit tentative in spots, revealed an attractively melodic approach to improvising, and local product Owens is rapidly becoming an excellent bassist. But they would all sound better if Green unleashed them from a too-rigid musical framework.

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* The Benny Green Trio at Catalina Bar & Grill through Sunday, 1640 N. Cahuenga Blvd., (323) 466-2210. $15 cover tonight at 8:30 and 10:30; $17 cover Friday and Saturday at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday at 7 p.m; $15 cover Friday and Saturday at 10:30 p.m. and Sunday at 9 p.m. Two drink minimum.