The blues are the muse for this poet

Mose Allison rarely wastes much time getting to the point in his performances. And his opening set at the Jazz Bakery on Tuesday was no exception. Starting out with a busily eccentric instrumental number (accompanied by bassist Tom Warrington), the singer and pianist shifted, without a break, into “I Don’t Want Much,” and continued virtually nonstop for the next 40 minutes.

In the process, he managed to include no fewer than 18 songs -- mostly his own -- in a program rich with the ironic humor that is Allison’s essential stock in trade. His set, filled with high points, spotlighted “Fool’s Paradise,” “Ever Since I Stole the Blues,” “What’s Your Movie,” John D. Loudermilk’s hilarious “You Call It Joggin’ (But I Call It Running Around)” and Willie Dixon’s “I Love the Life I Live (And I Live the Life I Love).”

A dozen or so other songs that have been essential elements in Allison’s repertoire for years -- “Your Mind Is on Vacation,” “Parchman Farm” and “Seventh Son” -- could have been included and undoubtedly will surface during his run at the Bakery. His briskly efficient performance style did not, however, mean that Allison lacked charisma. True, he had little to say, but the intensity of his singing and the symbiotic integration of his voice and piano lines combined with his laid-back manner to create a uniquely appealing musical presence.

More than is the case with many artists, the medium is a good part of the message with Allison. Rooted in the blues, telling stories in which real life becomes the metaphor for a probing imagination, he is, like Oscar Brown Jr., one of America’s true poets.

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Mose Allison

Where: The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave..Culver City

When: 8 and 9:30 tonight through Sunday

Price: $25

Info: (310) 271-9039