JAZZ REVIEW : Jim Hall Demonstrates Guitar Brilliance at Bakery

Guitarist Jim Hall, a former Angeleno (he first came to prominence here, in 1956, with the Chico Hamilton Quintet), made one of his rare visits from New York on Sunday, when he played for an overflow house at the Jazz Bakery.

Though he has been compared to everyone from Charlie Christian to Django Reinhardt, Hall has long since developed his own persona, characterized by a sensitive, often subdued sound and by uniquely ethereal compositions.

When he plays a subtle melody such as “Skylark,” one is left wondering: What was that substitute chord he just used? Did he modulate without our noticing? Yet when the tune is based on a simple handful of chords (as in “Street Dance,” a calypso piece written by Sonny Rollins, with whom he worked in the 1960s), his ingenuity still shines through.

Hall’s “Joao,” named for Joao Gilberto, captured the Brazilian spirit without attempting visceral duplication. “Subsequently,” dedicated to Hamilton, was one of Hall’s more daring works, with hints of Ornette Coleman in its puckishness.

His accompanists were Scott Colley, a bassist whose support on solos were consistently rewarding, and Bill Stewart, a fine drummer who occasionally tended to become a little intrusive. Overall, though, the group achieved a commendable unity worthy of its boldly brilliant leader. If he has not yet entered the jazz Hall of Fame, his recent work, both in person and on record, will do much to expand the fame of Hall.