Jazz Reviews : Bassists Hit Joyful Notes at Convention

Ray Brown, Milt Hinton and John Clayton probably never faced a more demanding audience than they did Tuesday night at UCLA’s Schoenberg Hall.

Appearing as guest artists in a concert for the International Society of Bassists Convention, the trio of bassists knew they were performing before a crowd vividly aware of the technique and the delivery behind every note.

To their credit, Brown, Hinton and Clayton responded with an enthusiasm and joy that quickly pushed aside any considerations of musical mechanics. The result was an evening as enjoyable to a non-bassist as it surely must have been to the many performers in the crowd.

Hinton, at 78 still as precise as ever, spent most of his time laying down the fat, walking lines that have been his stock in trade.

Stepping forward on two solo numbers--the spiritual “Joshua Fought the Battle of Jericho” and a humorous “Old Man Time”--he demonstrated a rhythmic, string-slapping technique hot enough to energize a funk band.

Brown’s highly stylish playing brought a delightful sense of musical elegance to the evening. He was especially effective on a number of blues, most notably during a crisp, boppish solo on an old standard, “The Five O’Clock Whistle.”

Clayton, the youngest of the trio, put his classical training on display with some superb bowing on Johnny Mandel’s ballad, “Emily.”

Backing everything with the discreet acknowledgement that this was an evening for string players were pianist Mike Wofford and drummer Jeff Hamilton.