Monday Night Jam
by Martin Jones Westlin
If you ever see flutist Bradley Leighton in concert, don't expect his body english to guide
you through the beat. This man is not exactly metronome material. He hulks and sways
and lurches markedly out of step when he plays, guided by the unseen forces that have
made his instrument a hit since about A.D. 900, when those feisty cats from the Byzantine
empire decided to lay down some serious live tracks.
But that's jazz, the renegade stepchild for whom the exception is the rule. No other
modern mainstream genre relies so heavily on improvisation to fuel it; no other
performing musical art can float the term “fusion” with such conviction and poise.
Leighton is thus permitted his idiosyncrasies – his quirky gyrations weigh heavily into
his breezy take on his music and the concepts that swirl about it.
On Monday, May 2, Leighton headlined an evening jam at a popular La Jolla eatery,
replete with guest musicians and vocalists and their gifts for a waiting world. The Rancho
Peñasquitos resident invited drummers Duncan Moore and Brad Rehm, keyboardist Allan
Phillips, sax man Mikole Kaar and bassist Sly Simon along for the ride – the ensuing
three hours were no less than a primer on the creation of solid gold. From a turn on
Bobby Womack's light classic “Breezin'” to Phillips' maniacal mode of attack and
everything in between, the music's seamlessness betrayed a mutual respect that
transcends the pedestrian realm of key signatures and codas.
Such untold unison in this improv-intensive climate – all the more remarkable amid
Leighton's matter-of-fact declaration that he's never played with this collective as a
group.
“[Phillips] is cooped up in his studio all week,” Leighton explained, “just like a lot of
these guys. When they decide they want to get out and play some funk, it's fresh, and it's
new, and it all comes together. That's why you hire guys like these.”
And that's jazz.
Seattle-area native Leighton, 44, was raised on the likes of Earth, Wind & Fire and Tower
of Power in his band days at Fife, Wash., High School. The jazz phenomenon would
eventually captivate a young Army band alum in the early '80s as Seattle's after-hours
clubs beckoned his pleasure. What followed was a body of work in rhythm-and-blues
bands, Hammond organ trios, funk dance groups and straight-ahead jazz and the
introduction of Groove Yard, his debut CD, two years ago. He also plays on two releases
by the jazz outfit Seattle Groove lead by Deems Tsutagawa.
In April, Leighton released Just Doin' Our Thang, a 12-cut CD featuring a Hammond B-3
organ trio behind Leighton's alto flute. And the group's interpretation of the theme from
The Pink Panther might spark second thoughts on the original. Moore's chancy drum
riffs; Bob Boss' off-key bursts of rhythm guitar; the legato values and color behind the
theme: Leighton's treatment takes on a life of its own, eons removed from Henry
Mancini's austere title entry from the 1963 movie of the same name.
The collection also features the Gershwin staple “Summertime,” sung this evening by
Cynthia Hammond. Hammond plays to the house as La Jolla's 40-somethings filter in to
reciprocate; her trumpet voice holds their groove through Carrie Landsgaard's sultry
“Chain of Fools” and DeNeille Thompson's indelible “Georgia on My Mind.” The future
got into the act, too. Leighton protege Joyce Caci trilled through a nimble entry, finishing
just before her ear-to-ear grin got the better of her.
And through it all, there was the headliner, backstepping, pitching and leaning into a
higher call. Those crazy Byzantines knew what they were doing when they invented the
flute, all right. From a distance, the darn thing looks like a magic wand – the same one
they've bequeathed to a gifted, unassuming young descendant who just can't seem to sit
still.
Now, that's jazz.
Martin Jones Westlin is the theater critic for San Diego CityBeat newspaper and covers
news and the arts for a number of San Diego-area publications.