Logistics, Acoustics Limit Effectiveness of Ruiz Trio

Pianist Hilton Ruiz has been in and around the jazz scene since the 1970s, when, barely into his 20s, he worked with Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Freddie Hubbard, Joe Henderson and others. In addition, despite the fact that he has never quite broken through to high visibility, he has released more than a dozen well-crafted albums, most tinged with Latin rhythms.

On Tuesday, however, in the opening set of a six-night run at the Jazz Bakery, Ruiz was having difficulties getting all the pieces of his music in place. Arriving in town after an early-morning flight from the East Coast, he apparently had no opportunity to do much planning with the other members of his trio--bassist Eddie Resto and drummer Tiki Pisailla.

The result was a program that never quite managed to display the full extent of Ruiz’s skills.

Jazz groups working on a largely spontaneous basis, performing standards--in this case numbers such as “Caravan” and “My Funny Valentine”--and originals (Ruiz’s “Home Cooking”), depend upon the establishment of an implicitly agreed upon, unified rhythmic flow. It’s what musicians often refer to as playing “in the pocket.” But in the tricky acoustic environment of the Bakery--in which bass sounds often become muddled, cymbals shimmer throughout the room, and a pianist who, like Ruiz, makes frequent use of the sustain pedal--it can be very difficult for players to hear each other well enough to find and maintain that sort of rhythmic unity.

Which is precisely what was happening with the Ruiz trio, the problem exacerbated by frequent uncertainty about when to move from solo to ensemble passages and how to end numbers.

Fortunately, Ruiz is far too talented to be completely overwhelmed by such circumstances, and he came up with marvelously inventive soloing from time to time--brightly funky with “Home Cooking,” rhapsodic with “My Funny Valentine,” brisk and boppish with John Coltrane’s “Moment’s Notice.”

Pisailla, who combines a standard jazz drum kit with congas and other percussion, confirmed that he is one of the most inventive and enterprising young drummers in jazz, and Resto, despite occasional uncertainties, was generally firm and supportive.

One can only hope that, given some time to find common ground, Ruiz and his players will offer a more accurate view of their abilities as the week continues.

* The Hilton Ruiz Trio at the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City. Tonight through Sunday at 8 and 9:30 p.m., $22 admission. (310) 271-9039.