Only in Los Angeles can a musician like bari saxist Roger Rosenberg go from a show in front of 56,000 at Dodger Stadium on night, and then hit the cozy and intimate Blue Whale the next. That’s the life for a musician that tours with Steely Dan, but takes a night off to reunite with his jazz roots with LA all stars and long time friends Joe La Barbera/dr, Darek Oles/b and Alan Pasqua/p.
“I’m actually more comfortable with 50,000 people than here, as everyone here knows me and listening to me at this show,” joked the leader, who showed why he’s one of the top men on the unwieldy reed. The Chet Baker alumnus mixed palpable tones a la Gerry Mulligan as he skated like Sonja Henie on the lyrical take of “Jitterbug Waltz” while Pasqua provide support and solos that were classy and glassy. On the bop classic “Rhythm A Ning,” Rosenberg danced merrily like Dumbo as he did a twinkle toes over the tricky groove provided by the deft La Barbera and Oles’ solo had the team drift off into a California Cool direction towards the end.
La Barbera’s brushwork was like Gaughan on the finger snapping “Along Came Betty” with Rosenberg delivering a rich vibrato. On each piece, while the grooves were deep, the leader allowed the team some moments of subtly free excursions, showing that improvisations doesn’t have to imply cacophony.
Rosenberg delivered an aria on his bel canto room filler during his intro and closing of “Sophisticated Lady” while Pasqua led the trio through a lyrical centerpiece. Rosenberg’s sax growled and roared the team into gear before closing with a stampeding read of “Old Devil Moon” that had La Barbera ride the cymbals like a stampeding wagon train from Red River before having the team deliver a photo finish to close the exciting first set.
It was refreshing to see a pro like Rosenberg show his ability to flex his bop chops, keeping with the tradition that actually inspired the band that Fagan and Becker are able to fill Chavez Ravine with.
Upcoming shows at the Blue Whale include Andy McCauley July 24, Ben Williams Aug 2 and Clayton Cameron Aug 5