Silence Frames Each Stroke on Music Canvas

Lessons learned early often have lifelong consequences.

Saxophonist Dave Liebman, who in his 20s was a member of Miles Davis’ early-’70s bands, has frequently cited Davis’ method of framing his trumpet phrases with moments of silence as an influence on his own play. Making his first West Coast performance in a dozen years Friday at Steamers Cafe in Fullerton, Liebman, now in his 50s, demonstrated just how valuable a lesson that was.

There were other echoes of the saxophonist’s tenure as a member of Davis’ forward-thinking ensembles in Friday’s appearance with his quartet, notably the use of exotic rhythms and percussion instruments of the sort Davis experimented with in the early ‘70s. But none served the saxophonist as well as his ability to frame a line as if it were a painting.

The silence between his phrases gave time for them to be absorbed, as well as giving him time to calculate his next move. Every line, standing alone, was well conceived. And each improvisational stroke added to a larger landscape, colorful swirls and dabs that created an impressionistic whole.

Liebman is adept at framing entire compositions as well. The opening piece, a Picasso dedication titled “Pablo’s Story” that dates to the saxophonist’s groundbreaking “Lookout Farm” album from 1974 (recorded while he was still with the Davis band), was framed by guitarist Vic Juris’ Spanish-influenced acoustic guitar and colored with drummer Jamey Haddad’s hand-held frame drum.

Haddad created patter on an even larger frame drum, and Liebman played soprano and sprightly wooden flute on an otherwise slow, gentle treatment of the Disney favorite “Beauty and the Beast.”

“White Caps” was awash in electric guitar. Liebman’s knotty solo on “Tie Them Up,” a song inspired by the sight of his daughter learning to tie her shoes and which featured Haddad’s ceramic, tabla-like hadgini drums, was especially impressionistic.

After putting aside the tenor about 20 years ago to concentrate on soprano, Liebman picked it up again in 1996. Here, he played “My Favorite Things” (a tune Coltrane popularized on soprano) on a tenor he borrowed from Steamers owner Terence Love. He showed a decided John Coltrane influence, with similar dramatic cries, octave jumps and gritty overtones during a long, drums-sax-only passage with Haddad.

But it’s Liebman’s soprano play that is one of a kind--supple, flowing and as meaningful as deep conversation. His pauses between lines added tension, and he built not so much to a specific climax as he did to overall emotional effect. Hats off to Steamers for bringing in this important musician. No doubt Davis would be proud of his former sideman.