Night of Brazilian highs, lows

Kenny Barron has long been one of the most highly regarded pianists in jazz. His extraordinary sense of touch combines with a sophisticated harmonic palette and an understated but urgent sense of swing. It’s not surprising that he has been a first call rhythm section stalwart for virtually his entire career.

All of which made his performance at the Cerritos Center on Friday night somewhat of an enigma. Most of the music traced to his current album, “Canta Brasil,” which -- like the concert -- partners Barron with flutist Anne Drummond and the Trio Da Paz, a highly skilled, Brazilian-born ensemble that includes Romero Lubambo, guitar; Nilson Matta, bass; and Duduka DaFonseca, drums.

But the results, in a program ranging from familiar Jobim tunes to a clutch of originals, were vexingly uneven. Too often, Barron abandoned his subtle musical sensitivity in favor of thick, two-handed chording, and altered his usual supportive transparency as an accompanist in favor of a too-dominant presence in the ensemble sound.

On the upside, glimpses of Barron’s near-magical capacity to transform harmonies into emotionally textured clusters emerged briefly, mostly during slower numbers. Lubambo’s soloing craftily combined his Brazilian sensibilities with pure jazz momentum. And Drummond -- clearly a player with highflying potential -- offered imaginative, cutting-edge improvising.

More often, however, these engaging moments were undercut by rhythmic clutter. Much of it traced to Barron’s intrusive use of piano chording in place of the crisply buoyant accompaniment usually allocated to the guitar in Brazilian jazz-samba. As a result, Lubambo’s potentially vital contributions were overwhelmed by the piano.

And the evening’s promising vision of an encounter between jazz and the music of Brazil remained perplexingly out of focus.