You probably could run on-stage and beat Randy Brecker's kneecaps with a tire iron and the cat wouldn't make a bad note. Fortunately, no one tested that theory Saturday night at the Miniaci Performing Arts Center in Davie. The trumpet master blew one gorgeously toned solo after another in the company of pianist Lynne Arriale's new quartet, which provided a preview of its recording, Nuance: The Bennett Studio Sessions, due out in May. The superb rhythm section from the recording, bassist George Mraz and drummer Anthony Pinciotti, were also along for the ride.
Like a graybearded alchemist, Brecker turned brass into liquid fire, effortlessly shaping notes of great volume and clarity on trumpet and flugelhorn. As he inserted a mute into the bell of his horn before a sublime read of "Ballad of the Sad Young Men," Brecker asked the soundman to turn up his mike. But even without amplification, it's likely he would have been heard out in the parking lot.
Possessing enormous melodic gifts, the fiery-haired Arriale was hardly overshadowed. In fact, her assured touch and supple phrasing are quite compatible with the trumpeter's, as displayed from start to finish on-stage and on the new recording. Arriale used the platform Saturday to showcase Nuance, performing the album in its entirety (or damn near), but out of sequence. The program began with the mellow uplift of the pianist's spritely original "Carry On," a perfect kickoff that spotlighted the pairing of sparkling piano and burnished brass. The ensemble then delved into Sting's "Wrapped Around Your Finger," teasing out the cool, mysterious vibe of the song, which was particularly evident in Arriale's solo, one of her finest of the night.
The group also flexed well-honed bop muscles on an excellent and nonderivative read of Monk's "I Mean You," on which the musicians seemed to revel in the tricky, push-pull rhythms, and also hung fire on Dizzy's "Night in Tunisia," as drummer Pinciotti seemed to be channeling Roy Haynes or Max Roach. But the ensemble's ballad playing was breathtaking. On the aforemenioned "Ballad of the Sad Young Men" (check out my Examiner page for a brief history of the tune), Brecker's muted horn perfectly captured the song's aching wistfulness, contrasting beautifully with Arriale's brighter but no-less-contemplative solo and tender comping. Pinciotti's light touch with brushes and mallets and Mraz's minimalistic bass notes added sensitive shadings, and the bassist's fine, elegant solo that ushers the song to its close serves as a reminder why he's been in demand since emigrating from his native Czechoslovakia more than 40 years ago.
After intermission, Brecker played the second set entirely on the flugel, sacrificing none of his fluency or fluidity on the softer-sounding horn. The group dived right in on a dreamy, avant-garde-sounding read of "I Hear a Rhapsody," which was reminiscent of Freddie Hubbard's take on Beiderbecke's "In a Mist."
Always drawing a crowd in South Florida — where she's long performed for South Florida Jazz, the organization that brought her back Saturday for its Impressions series — Arriale proved a charming hostess. Dressed, as is her custom, in elegant stage attire, she introduced the spiky original "Yada Yada Yada" by explaining that European audiences were often confused by the idiom that entered our lexicon, like so many, via Seinfeld.
Look for Nuance in stores or online beginning May 12.
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