Jazz Review : Acoustic Alchemy Periodically Tables Finer Elements

SANTA ANA — The name Acoustic Alchemy proved (again) a half-truth Thursday at the Galaxy Concert Theatre. Guitarists Greg Carmichael and Nick Webb play acoustic instruments, and the blend of their sounds does make for an almost magic melding. But other facets of the four-piece band are neither acoustic nor magical.

If this seems like petty quibbling over semantics, well, it is. The truth is that Acoustic Alchemy has tightened and toughened its sound over the course of eight albums. Its most recent, “Against the Grain,” features harder, more urban beats, a tact that results in more aggressive play from its principals. Though electric bass and synthesizer sounds are part of the mix, they add to the brew, not detract from it.

The Galaxy show, while featuring several tunes from the new album, was more a retrospective of the AA songbook. Just when the boys were getting down and dirty, they’d slip into something more comfortable from their past. While those moves brought cheers from audience members familiar with their canon, its overall effect was to break the momentum of the show.

Still, there’s no slighting the interplay between Webb, who plays a steel-string instrument, and Carmichael, who plays one with nylon strings. The two work as one when they play unison themes and complement each other nicely when one is supplying rhythmic support for the other’s lead. And each has just enough personality above and beyond the differently strung instruments for fine contrast in solo spots.

Although there are a number of guitarists working the acoustic-instrumental field today, none offer the variety of Webb and Carmichael. Classical and Spanish-influenced numbers mix with jazz, reggae and soft rockers. Heavy-backbeat numbers fall here and there. A guitarist such as Ottmar Liebert begins to sound repetitious as he strikes up one flamenco-fired exercise after another, but AA mixed its program well enough to keep interest high.

The most revealing part of the concert came while the bassist and drummer were offstage. Webb and Carmichael combined skills on their soft ballad “Sarah Victoria,” their involved soloing bringing depth to the simple melody. Then, with Carmichael taking up the familiar bass line, the two launched into a spirited version of the Paul Desmond-Dave Brubeck hit “Take Five.”

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With the addition of bassist Dennis Murphy and drummer John Shepard (and occasional prerecorded synthesizer backing), the mix was less magical. Murphy provided spare, solid underpinnings and generated demanding, thumb-popped solos that brought loud acclaim.

But Shepard, who moved between drum kit and a percussion stand with congas and other rhythm instruments, often seemed to have trouble finding the groove, following, rather than leading, the way across the changes.

Untethered by the rest of the band, Shepard leaped into a solo of his own, developing an impressive set of descending lines on his drum kit before coming out from his seat to rattle away with his sticks on the strings of Murphy’s bass. Maybe a bit more familiarity with the material is necessary before Shepard’s steely sound becomes gold.