MICHAEL BLOOM MEDIA RELATIONS Former islander Dean Taba, lower right, with his bandmates from Shapes, clockwise from lower left,, Tollak Olmstead, Mike Higgins, David Derge, Roger Burn and Andy Suzuki, center.

Taba time

Jazz musician Dean Taba
does Hawaii proud

One of my favorite Hawaii musician expats is Dean Taba, who moved to Los Angeles in 1984 and made a name for himself as an in-demand jazz session bassist, both on stage and in the recording studio.

"For Friends" Dean Taba Manasus Music "The Big Picture" Shapes Burnin' Down the House Records

He returns home occasionally to sit in on a local gig or two, and last month came back with a new solo endeavor, "For Friends," recorded in Pasadena, Calif., with such musical pals as saxophonist Andy Suzuki, pianist Nick Manson, drummer Kendall Kay and, guesting on a couple of tracks, veteran trumpeter/flugelhorn player Steve Hufstetter.

Taba's once again on the radar as part of the L.A. jazz ensemble Shapes (Suzuki is also a member), which just released "The Big Picture." The two-"reel" disc is a well-produced and engineered selection of wide-ranging jazz, from comforting cover tunes to burning bop, with excellent compositions and execution.

THE OVERALL mood of Taba's all-original solo effort is low-key. He's not a showoff when it comes to soloing. When he does feature his pizzicato skills, he keeps it within the general tone of whatever's being played, whether it's on the lowdown and slightly quarrelsome "It Hurts When I Do This" or his sensitively played intro to the nice 'n' easy "Here for You."

There's a wonderful group dynamic among the musicians, noteworthy considering the album was recorded one long day in the studio last November. The astute interplay shines on the spacious "Up Side," the intermingling of voices on the delicate "Folk Song #2," and the somber if intriguing "Camarillo's Daughter."

TABA CONTINUES to shine on the Shapes tracks he plays on, particularly on the band's bopping "In the Outdoors." Roger Burn, the band's principal composer and arranger, pulls off one of the album's better horn arrangements.

There's more Taba on the Latin-flavored title track, with an interesting mix of voicings coming from Tollak Ollestad's chromatic harmonica, Burn's vibraphone and Suzuki's flute. New Orleans gets a nod on the funky "Lobster," featuring guest guitarist Robben Ford. Suzuki shines on his tenor sax solo on a cover of "Softly, As In a Morning Sunrise" dedicated to the memory of pianist/composer Don Grolnick. And Taba solos on the closing "What Now?," an atmospheric piece that includes the sound of an 11-string guitar played by Matthew Van Doran.

Another track of local interest is a cover of the Rodgers and Hart standard "I Didn't Know What Time It Was," featuring Pauline Wilson and Matt Catingub.

It's an orchestral-like arrangement with the former Seawind singer in fine voice and Catingub showing his skill on the alto sax, apart from his baton-wielding gig with the Honolulu Symphony Pops.

Other highlights on "The Big Picture" include John Coltrane's "Naima," performed with a surprising country-and-western lilt, the driving "Eat the Heat," with its Afro-Cuban sound, and a boldly dramatic reworking of "Love for Sale."

As long as Taba is associated with such stellar jazz as this, Los Angeles is the richer for it.