Trumpeter signals his potential

Trumpeter Christian Scott arrived at Catalina Bar & Grill on Thursday on a wave of promotional support identifying him as a rapidly emerging jazz star. And given the quality of the playing on his new album, “Anthem,” with its convincing, cross-genre embrace of the contemporary music scene, the hype for once doesn’t appear to be overdone.

But the opening set of his three-night stand promised more than it delivered. Working with, according to Scott, new musicians and inadequate rehearsal time, the band delivered a largely monochromatic performance. Dynamic levels, rhythms and solos all surfaced at a similar level of intensity, often overwhelmed by Ronald Bruner Jr.’s adept but far too dominant drumming and Stephen Bruner’s rumbling bass lines.

The lack of musical variation diminished the impact of some fine individual playing from saxophonists Walter Smith III and Louis Fouché, guitarist Matt Stevens and pianist Milton Fletcher.

Scott’s efforts to drive the music to higher levels underscored his impressive maturity as a player and a leader. When his trumpet was in action, especially in pieces such as “Anthem” and Wayne Shorter’s classic “Footprints,” the potential that is so apparent on the new album finally made its presence felt on stage.

Soaring articulately through fast-note passages, shifting easily into cool-toned lyricism, adding a few fiery moments of out-of-the-box exploration, he made a convincing case as an able successor to his obvious inspiration, Miles Davis.

The road toward reaching that goal, however, has the inevitable potential for more uneven nights such as this. And the quality and degree of Scott’s ascendancy will depend on his ability to transform the uncertainties into achievements. If he can do that as effectively in live performance as he has on his recordings, he’ll be well on his way.