Lush Tones From Versatile Arthur Blythe

Intimations of Julian “Cannonball” Adderley surfaced frequently in Arthur Blythe’s performance at the Jazz Bakery Thursday night. Similar to the late, great alto saxophonist in sound, as well as girth, Blythe offered a comparably lush and luxurious approach to the instrument.

But there were striking differences, as well. Blythe’s long and checkered career has taken him across numerous stylistic barriers, as he ranged freely from cutting-edge performances with Horace Tapscott to appearances with everyone from Gil Evans and Chico Hamilton to Jack DeJohnette and Lester Bowie, to a series of albums on Columbia under his own leadership. And elements from that entire array of multifaceted experiences were present, in greater or lesser quantities, in his playing at the Bakery.

Blythe’s ballad work--especially in a rendering of “Misty”--benefited enormously from the lush, rapturous quality of his tone. Only when he chose to move into the upper harmonic reaches of his horn did he begin to lose contact with the otherwise engaging aspects of his beautifully shaped melodizing.

Faster pieces generated less predictable results. Blythe’s highly mobile, rapid playing was generally the product of a virtuosic technique. Occasionally, his fluidity was marred by a seeming lack of focus in which note passages between important melodic points became blurred and indistinct. More often, fortunately, his far-flung versatility was in firm control.

Blythe’s most powerful asset is his capacity to shift easily from straight-ahead playing into free-roving but uniquely stylish, outside-the-box improvising. And it is that quality that was the most fascinating aspect of his opening-set improvisations.

It helped that Blythe was performing with a highly proficient accompanying ensemble: pianist Nate Morgan, bassist Roberto Miranda and drummer Fritz Wise. Morgan’s playing seems to improve with every hearing, and he adjusts easily to a variety of musical settings (last week he appeared at the Bakery with Blay Ambolley’s Afrikan Jaazz Hi-Life Band). Miranda brings musical intelligence and compositional insight to everything he plays. And Wise--who is heard too rarely--is a drummer who understands the full dynamic range of subtleties present in his instrument. Blythe couldn’t have asked for better support.

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* The Arthur Blythe Quartet at the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., L.A. Tonight at 8 and 9:30 p.m. $22. (310) 271-9039.