JAZZ REVIEW : ‘Windows on Hollywood’ Series

“Windows on Hollywood,” the series of jazz brunches co-presented by the Los Angeles Jazz Society at the Hollywood Holiday Inn on Highland Avenue, resumed Sunday with a session by the Red Callender Trio.

Callender, a perennial bassist in Southland studios but also a jazzman of exceptional experience, was flanked by two other veterans, pianist Gerald Wiggins and drummer Paul Humphrey.

As is normally the case with groups directed by a bass player, the leader deferred to his keyboard soloist most of the time, acting as a discreet backup for Wiggins’ sensitive, gently swinging versions of such standards as “Stay as Sweet as You Are” and “No Greater Love.” Wiggins for the most part was a model of decorum and simplicity, though once in a while, generally toward the end of each piece, he would indulge in a few harmonic variations to provide a needed change of pace.

Callender’s occasional solos were unspectacularly effective; on a couple of tunes, wearing a “Look Ma, I’m Singing” grin, he doubled as vocalist, bringing a touch of humor to his own song “Baby I’m Gone.”

Humphrey, drawing in the reins to keep the mood fittingly restrained, concentrated generally on brushes both in the ensemble and his few solos.

The easy-listening formula worked well as music to dine by, though in a room this size (and given the fact that the rooftop restaurant slowly revolved while the bandstand remained stationary, bringing the sounds in and out of focus), it was a little on the low-key side.