Jazz Reviews : Jordan, Coles Lead Quintet at Marla’s

Clifford Jordan, the tenor saxophonist who opened a two-night stint at Marla’s Memory Lane on Friday night, takes everything in easy stride. As little distressed by the faltering sound system as he was impressed with the accolades bestowed on him by the city and county, he merely put horn to lips and played top-notch jazz.

Accompanied by a quintet co-led by flugelhornist Johnny Coles, Jordan stuck to the standard repertoire of post-bop jazz during his opening set Friday night. With a full-bodied tenor sound, particularly so in the lower register, Jordan impressed with a straight-ahead approach that was short on pyrotechnics and long on musicality. In the course of his seven-song set he showed himself to be a mature, masterful musician who understands that the steak is more important than the sizzle.

Jordan began swinging from Note 1 of his opening “I Love You” and never stopped until the last note of his closing “Don’t Get Around Much Anymore” faded. In between came a pair of tunes by Thelonious Monk and one each by Miles Davis and Dizzy Gillespie.

“Lover Man” worked well as his only ballad inclusion, and even then Jordan couldn’t help but double the tempo for his wide-ranging, inspired solo.

Co-leader Coles worked well as Jordan’s musical foil, offering a series of understated improvisations that contrasted with Jordan’s bolder efforts. On most of the tunes, Jordan and Coles provided a two-man front for harmonized melodic statements, but on “Lover Man,” Coles merely echoed Jordan’s themes in a most effective manner.

The accompanying trio of pianist William Henderson, bassist Larry Gales and drummer Larance Marable was magnificent. Henderson’s solo efforts were superb, despite his being hindered by a substandard piano and sound system. Gales’ bold bass solos were a nice contrast to his steadfast support role and Marable continued in his workhorse role as a brilliant timekeeper.