Carter Coaxes Diverse Tones From Array of Saxophones

Think of James Carter as the Lon Chaney of jazz, able to slip in and out of diverse musical disguises at a moment’s notice. Or maybe as the Jimi Hendrix of the saxophone, scouring the instrument’s innards to extract every imaginable kind of sound.

And don’t forget the fact that, like Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Carter moves with ease and imagination from one saxophone to another, constantly in search of each of their secrets.

Wednesday night at the Jazz Bakery, Carter--working with organist Gerard Gibbs and drummer Leonard King--delivered a set of music embracing every one of those reference points. He has always been a masterful instrumentalist, working assiduously to develop a virtuosic technical expertise. But he is now well beyond traditional virtuosity, reaching into the generation of sounds that surely never occurred to Adolphe Sax when he invented the family of instruments that bears his name.

There were passages in the program, especially during pieces such as Joe Henderson’s “Recorda Me,” in which Carter played with a surprisingly soft and tender sound, his improvisations filled with subtle melodic paraphrases. At other times, he added an appealing, burry edge to his tone--the result calling up images, on soprano saxophone, of Sidney Bechet.

But Carter didn’t hesitate to get down and dirty too, closing with a number enlivened by a honking, driving solo that would have been appropriate for a bar-walking stint in a ‘50s rock ‘n’ roll club.

And, perhaps most fascinating of all, he employed every imaginable saxophone sound-producing technique: slap-tonguing, flutter-tonguing, multi-phonics, high harmonics, circular breathing and more. Aside from their value as music and entertainment, his saxophone excursions offered an astounding seminar in the instrument’s expressive potential.

Carter was supported well by Gibbs and King, who were quick to respond to his sudden musical shifts, countering with impressive soloing of their own. A moderate-sized but youthful (for the Bakery) audience reacted enthusiastically to every nuance of the set, climaxing by offering the Carter trio a well-earned standing ovation.

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The James Carter Trio at the Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Culver City. Tonight through Sunday at 8 and 9:30 p.m. $25. (310) 271- 9039.