Versatility and More From Young Bassist McBride

Christian McBride can play just about anything that one could imagine on a string bass. Approaching his 30th birthday in May, he already is a lead-pipe cinch for the jazz hall of fame. That said, he sometimes can have difficulty finding his musical focus, in part, perhaps, because he can do so many things so well.

On Wednesday night at the L.A. Jazz 2002 concert at USC’s Bovard Auditorium, McBride led a first-rate quartet consisting of saxophonist-flutist Ron Blake, pianist-keyboardist Geoff Keezer and drummer Terreon Gully in a performance in which the level of imagination was generally high. Its few less-than-lofty segments generally traced to McBride’s tendency to stitch too many threads into his creative tapestry.

For example, in addition to his obvious musical talents, he is a humorist with the sort of easygoing stage manner that allows him to establish an amiable connection with his listeners. And that was fine so long as it consisted of casual patter between numbers. But when he elected at one point to do an impression of Dean Martin complete with a pre-recorded announcement (and feeble jokes), it was a little hard to understand what in the world McBride had in mind.

Fortunately, the balance of the program included well-crafted playing from the entire group, both individually and collectively. A solo cadenza by McBride opened the evening with a quick view of the smooth fluidity he brings to his acoustic bass work. The attractive program of material included numbers by Steely Dan and Sting--”Aja” and “Walking on the Moon” (with some fine electric bass work from McBride)--and a mixed bag of McBride originals.

Among the high points: Gully’s drumming on “Egad,” Keezer’s adroit movement from acoustic piano to electric piano to synthesizer in pieces such as “Lullaby for a Ladybug” and “Clerow’s Flipped” (a new McBride work dedicated to comedian Flip Wilson, whose real name was Clerow), and Blake’s performing style, in which he enhanced his soloing with brisk, rhythmic dancing.

At the point where the evening seemed to be coming to a close, however, McBride picked up his electric bass and launched into what he described as a two-song medley of pieces by Jaco Pastorius and Joe Zawinul. Not a bad idea for a climactic ending, but as it turned out, it was only the beginning of the ending and the mother of all medleys, lasting a good 30 minutes and seeming to exist primarily to prove that McBride is as virtuosic on the electric bass as he is on the acoustic instrument.

OK, no argument there. But the time might better have been spent--as were the better segments of the program--illustrating that McBride also possesses an inventive musicality that is the real kernel from which his technical virtuosity blossoms.

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L.A. Jazz 2002 continues tonight 7 p.m. with a performance by the Wayne Shorter Quartet, USC Bovard Auditorium, 3551 Trousdale Parkway, L.A. (213) 740-2167.