Eclectic Sam Rivers displays plenty of horn

Saxophonist Sam Rivers was one of the more active participants in the avant-garde jazz world of the 1960s. Unlike many other players, however, he came to the genre with solid mainstream credentials. And his career, ever since, has tended to embrace a fairly broad array of stylistic elements.

On Wednesday night at the Jazz Bakery, Rivers -- performing in a trio with longtime associates Doug Matthews on bass and Anthony Coles on drums -- offered an opening set vividly displaying his eclectic interests. He was particularly well-aided in that respect by the group’s instrumental versatility. One number was a three-woodwind feature, with Matthews and Coles doubling on bass clarinet and tenor saxophone in combination with Rivers. On another piece, Coles moved to the piano to offer powerful, rhapsodic backing for Rivers’ tenor saxophone excursions.

And in yet another shift of pace, Matthews stood alone on stage, starting with an extensive bowed bass solo before shifting to fast-paced pizzicato playing.

Most of the music was expressed freely, beyond specific harmonies or bar lines, with the exception of occasional segments in which tonal centers and metric containment surfaced through the musical mix. Free improvisation can be difficult for audiences, for obvious reasons. Lacking a harmonic or rhythmic reference point, even the most receptive minds can wander. More often than not, however, Rivers’ maturity and experience prevailed, as he structured his wide-open playing and writing -- in which he used broad swaths of sound as pure coloration -- with more engagingly lyrical passages.

Equally vital to the overall success of the Rivers set was the obvious connectivity between the players -- an especially important factor in any sort of spontaneous improvising. Together for more than five years, Rivers, Matthews and Coles seamlessly blended their individual contributions into a consistently fascinating tapestry of sound and rhythm. In the process, they made a convincing case for the intriguing qualities that edgy, envelope-stretching jazz can have in the hands of players with beyond-genre skill and imagination.

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Sam Rivers Trio

Where: The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., Los Angeles.

When: Tonight through Sunday, 8 and 9:30 p.m.

Price: $25

Contact: (310) 271-9039