Singular Saxophonist’s Return Is Reason to Cheer

LONG BEACH — There’s reason to celebrate this season. The stock market’s up, the Angels have won more often than they’ve lost, and saxophonist Bennie Wallace is making local appearances again.

Wallace, among the most singular and enthusiastic tenor players on the planet, has forgone live performances in all but Europe and New York City in recent years. Instead he’s been concentrating on his writing and film score work while living in Pacific Palisades.

His first set Friday at M Bar & Grill, the second appearance he’s made there this month, was a reminder of just how distinctive and impassioned a player he is.

While most saxophonists of his generation modeled themselves after John Coltrane or Sonny Rollins, the 50-year-old, Chattanooga-born Wallace absorbed a more complete history of the tenor. In recorded work with bassist Eddie Gomez, drummer Dannie Richmond, pianist Chick Corea and fellow saxophonists including Oliver Lake and Lew Tabackin, Wallace established a reputation as a knowledgeable, no-holds barred player with a sense of the tenor tradition, resulting in a unique improvisational voice.

Working with electric guitarist Anthony Wilson (son of bandleader-composer Gerald Wilson), bassist Danton Boller and drummer Tom White (who was a late replacement for Wallace’s usual drummer, Black Note’s Willie Jones III), the saxophonist wowed the crowded house Friday with his down-home soulfulness and freestyle abandon. “Body and Soul,” “I Remember April” and “Moon Song” were all given Wallace’s personal stamp, along with quirky originals that provided even wilder turf for improvisational exploration.

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Wallace and guitarist Wilson seemed especially attuned (Wallace will be heard on Wilson’s forthcoming CD on the MAMA Foundation label), locking tightly in unison theme statements, then soloing with personality. Wilson’s ultra spare accompaniment during tenor solos created a fine tension and often beautiful tonal effects. His improvisations, filled with considered chordal work, brought to mind complex, often mystical images.

The breathy way Wallace pushed the notes as he opened “Body and Soul” recalled Coleman Hawkins. But to close the tune, his sidemen went quiet and Wallace became more animated, using lengthy intervals that imparted bounce.

No matter how far out he went, a sense of the song remained, often with the faintest of rhythmic hooks. At one point he brought cheers from the crowd as he developed a long series of variations on a progressively twisted line.

Bassist Boller provided the alert, expansive accompaniment this kind of wide-ranging approach requires. His solos carried their own assertive personality, played with a stout sound and attractive lyricism. Drummer White proved capable, despite his unfamiliarity with the players. During a number of challenging moments, White kept sight of the beat even as Wallace lagged temptingly behind it.

In this day and age of homogenized sax players, Wallace is that rare individual who is not afraid to show some character. He’ll have two appearances at the M again in June (exact dates not yet scheduled) that should be required listening for those who think all saxophonists sound alike.