Hill Trio Weaves Together Rich Improvisational Textures

Originality is one of the essential hallmarks of the art of jazz. Improvisation, almost by definition, requires the spontaneous expression of individual ideas, even among players who model themselves upon existing styles.

But when it comes to a pianist like Andrew Hill, originality is more--an unavoidable expression of musical character, of who he is as an artist. There may be traces of Thelonious Monk and Cecil Taylor drifting through his work, but Hill’s music has always been one of jazz’s certifiable originals.

On Wednesday at the Jazz Bakery, in the opening set of a five-night run, Hill--making his first Southland appearance in more than a decade--continued to follow a musical path that led through a rich improvisatory world of his own making.

Working with the immensely supportive talents of bassist Scott Colley and drummer Nasheet Waits, Hill offered a program of presumably original material (he made no announcements). And, although the pieces were filled with his typically thick-textured chording and off-center rhythmic phrases, they also skimmed across the surface of familiar patterns, sometimes (for a few bars at a time) reminiscent of the chord patterns from one standard tune or another.

Hill started a bit slowly, perhaps adjusting to the room’s acoustics, not quite finding the articulate center of his pieces. But by the third number, everything fell into place, and his improvisations--which tended to ebb and flow with emotional intensity rather than the more familiar propulsive elements of swing--came alive. Although Hill’s phrasing seemed on a track that was separate from Colley and Waits, he often brought it into sudden synchronization, bursting out of his dense chordal clusters with unexpected but enormously effective repeated riffs and bop-like phrases.

Not only was it the work of an extraordinarily centered musical imagination, but it was also the work of a cutting-edge artist who retains the capacity to connect and communicate with his audience.

It’s also worth noting that Colley, who is surely one of the most versatile young jazz bassists, was a perfect foil for Hill, responding to sudden shifts of emphasis, adding his own powerful counter lines and bridging the connection between piano and bass. And Waits, also young and versatile, revealed a remarkably intuitive understanding of the complex rhythmic requirements demanded by Hill’s music.

* The Andrew Hill Trio at the Jazz Bakery, through Sunday. 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City. (310) 271-9039. $20 admission. Tonight and Saturday at 8 and 9:30 p.m., and Sunday at 7 and 8:30 p.m.