JAZZ REVIEW : LA Express Fuses New and Old at Le Cafe

It was a study in contrasts Tuesday night at Le Cafe. John Guerin’s current installment of the LA Express fused his veteran drumming with the flames-and-fury music making of a gifted young group of players. And it worked.

Seated quietly at the rear of the stage like a guru surrounded by young disciples, rarely taking a solo, always propelling the rhythm forward, Guerin was the steady, solid foundation of the band’s music. At the other end of the scale, bassist Brian Bromberg soared up toward--and sometimes past--the outer limits of sound making. Somewhere in between were the far-ranging styles of tenor saxophonist Dave Moody, guitarist Bob Mann and keyboardist Tom Ranier (filling in for the absent Mike Lang).

The very first funk-drenched notes of Miles Davis’ “81” made it clear that this colorful combination of elements had great potential. Other pieces--the up-tempo “Major Events” and “Gingerbread Boy,” as well as a grooving “Monk Funk”--became testimony to the fact that fusion can swing, and swing hard.

A good part of that swing traced to the spontaneous interaction between Bromberg, Mann and Ranier. Despite the relative newness of their association, they played with a remarkably intuitive touch, tossing bits and pieces of melody and rhythm back and forth with the easy compatibility of longtime partners.

Mann, a relative newcomer on the Southern California musical scene, made it clear that he deserves a wider hearing. His solos were as articulate and considered as they were fleet and fervent; above all, they provided musical reference points and connections that constantly engaged the listener’s attention.

Despite his fill-in status, Ranier also made the most of his solo space, especially during a virtual history of jazz piano outing on “Gingerbread Man.” Moody’s work was direct and to the point, a perfect, feet-on-the-ground parallel for Bromberg’s wildly skyrocketing flights through the musical stratosphere.

That this disparate assemblage of musicians came together so well was clear confirmation of the value of Guerin’s low-keyed leadership. As with the many previous installments of the LA Express, he has gathered an admirable collection of contemporary players into a fine modern jazz ensemble.