Bley’s imagination sparkles

Carla Bley and Steve Swallow have rarely appeared in the Southland. And that’s a shame, since their program at the Jazz Bakery on Tuesday was a rare display of imaginative jazz at its finest.

Pianist Bley’s compositions and arrangements have earned her praise and awards since she first came to the attention of the wider jazz community in the early ‘70s with her opera, “Escalator Over the Hill.” And bassist Swallow’s extensive resume includes performances with such notables as Stan Getz, Pat Metheny, Lee Konitz and Dizzy Gillespie.

Working with saxophonist Andy Sheppard and drummer Billy Drummond in a quartet known as the Lost Chords, Bley and Swallow presented a program devoted to Bley’s unique music. Most of the set was taken from a pair of long works -- “The Girl Who Cried Champagne” and “Three Blind Mice” -- with an added Bley take on the jazz standard “Someone to Watch Over Me.”

In Bley’s music, however, nothing is predictable. “The Girl Who Cried Champagne” opened with a jaunty bossa nova rhythm and a combination of melody and harmony that recalled, but never imitated, the classic style of Antonio Carlos Jobim. The next part of the work shifted to a bass showcase for Swallow’s inventive soloing. The final segment made a sudden left turn into the disjunct melodic and harmonic leaps of a Thelonious Monk-inspired piece.

“Three Blind Mice” occasionally retained melodic references to the classic children’s round, but more often, it roved through interactive soloing -- especially Sheppard’s wildly virtuosic soprano saxophone work and Drummond’s fascinating, texture-shifting percussion.

“Someone to Watch Over Me” underscored the subtle whimsy that is often present in Bley’s music, avoiding the song’s melody until the very last few bars of the piece. “I took some liberties,” she said, afterward. Which was true, and which is the essence of her creativity, bringing light, space, humor and trademark inventiveness to music that is a constant pleasure to experience.

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Carla Bley & the Lost Chords

Where: The Jazz Bakery, 3233 Helms Ave., L.A.

When: 8 and 9:30 p.m. tonight through Saturday

Price: $25 tonight; $30 Friday and Saturday

Info: (310) 271-9039