It’s always a treat to catch pianist Billy Childs in concert, as you’ll probably never hear the same thing twice. The Angeleno has been seen in the various clubs playing styles ranging from chamber jazz to plugged in fusion. This time around, in light of his recent release Winds of Change, Childs brought together a fervent post bopping team of drummer Christian Euman, bassist Hans Glawischnig and trumpeter Sean Jones for a 90 minute set that displayed the many colors of his musical palate.
Childs’ piano has a wonderful romantic feel, creating ripples on introductions to pieces like the clever and tricky lines of “The Great Western Loop”, with Jones bopping over Euman’s snappy sticks. Childs created musical atmospheres on “Winds of Change” by taking you down dark alleys with long shadows, while reflective nostalgia melded around Glawischnig’s solo and Jones’ sweet tone on “The End Of Innocence”. Soft ivories introduced and closed the sweet and delicate rendition of Chick Corea’s “Crystal Silence” as the theme wafted away like the ebb tide of a foamy wave.
Tapping into his classical tones, Childs brought some baroque currents to “Master Of The Game” while the impressionistic “Acceptance” had him interchanging deftly with Euman and Glawischnig. The fascinating aspect of Childs’ music is that while there is always a pulse to keep the music swinging, the ideas and directions and cadences change as if he’s taking the listener down a different side street of a town you thought you were familiar with, mixing piano strings and ivories to the dense harmonies of “Dance of Shiva” to close out the evening.
Classy, sophisticated, but always accessible, Childs is not only a fixture in the LA jazz scene, but as he demonstrated Friday night, an inspiration to it.
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Tierney Sutton 04/05-06, Paris Chansons 05/12, Freda Payne 05/13 and Gordon Goodwin’s Big Phat Band 05/20