The lost art of combining lyricism with improvisation and swing was on display like the a Renoir painting for all to appreciate when Ron Carter and his team of Donald Vega/p and Russell Malone/g gave the packed Hollywood club a full tour of the sounds and feelings of small group interplay.
Dapperly attired in suit and red tie (“and my socks are even nicer,” he joked) Carter set things off with some wondrously lithe communication on Malone’s own “Cedar Wood” which spotlighted Vega’s dainty and cheerful touch and the suite-sounding Oscar Pettiford tune “Laverne Walk” which had Carter’s ectomorphic digits take you to various rooms with different themes and colors, some bright red, others dark blue and even some pastels, while Malone’s autumnal tone was in full view on the dedication to Jim Hall on the flickering“Candelight.” His contemplative chords, thoughtful strums and wondrous single note runs even included a reference to “A Nightingale Sang…” as Malone threw out more quotes than Bartlett’s Book of Quotations.
Vega’s intro to the reflective “My Funny Valentine,” spare and sparse, was quietly invaded by Carter trudging in with thick chords on his feet that tracked dark sounds throughout the floor. His solo afterward was a rich and humorous “Variations of You Are My Sunshine” with his long finger stretching over the neck like a scene from a Hitchcock film. Malone’s popping pick’s resembled a bongo as he provided the groove for an elegantly attired “Vendome” and the band closed with a “Soft Winds” that started like a gentle breeze but ended with a Class 4 hurricane of wild rhythms and interplay that could only be replicated on an intersection in Naples.
Music that is this cerebral yet celebrative is a rare treat in this age of rocking cacophony. Don’t take it for granted!
Upcoming shows at Catalina’s include Stanley Jordan and Chick Corea!