Ron Eschete

The restaurant known as At Marty's, on Pico Boulevard, where unusual local experiments have been taking place lately, has come up with a winner in the person of Dewey Erney. You wouldn't think it to look at him. With his formal tuxedo, black tie and his 40-plus appearance, you might easily mistake him for the maitre d'. Yet as soon as he eased unannounced into "The Surrey With the Fringe on Top," it was evident that here was a singer with all the right qualifications.

John Pisano's guitar nights at Rocco Ristorante in Bel-Air are among the Southland's great musical bargains--not to be missed on several counts. On Monday, for example, Pisano was joined by guitarist Doug MacDonald and bassist Jim Hughart for a program of exquisitely crafted standards. Next week, the style focus shifts dramatically with the appearance of blues expert Phil Upchurch. All this for no cover, no minimum, in a pleasantly intimate listening environment.

The Hammond electric organ is one of the monster instruments of jazz. Capable of an enormous array of sounds ranging from massive orchestral textures to the tiniest single line, it is an instrument that demands an expansive musical imagination. And, in Joey De Francesco, it has found one of its rare masters. De Francesco, who won't turn 30 until next year, is a large, magisterial-looking young man.

Ron Eschete needs to look for another job. He's held his post as one of the best-kept secrets in jazz far too long. This guitarist, who led his trio through an invigorating, rewarding opening set Tuesday at Mucho Gusto, has been a regular on the Southern California jazz scene for almost two decades. Still, he has yet to make a solo album for a major label. His recent membership in the quartet of acclaimed pianist Gene Harris will help.

Fall in the jazz world is a breather, a needed break after summer, which in jazz is always the season with a frenzy of activity brought about by a stream of festivals, concerts and outdoor events. But don't think fewer events translates into diminished quality. Fall highlights begin Wednesday at Hollywood Bowl with the Lincoln Center Jazz Orchestra, the highly acclaimed ensemble known for its accurate restorations of early jazz and swing-era renditions.

About halfway through her opening set at the Jazz Bakery Monday night, singer-pianist Daryl Sherman dug into the high-spirited lyrics of "The Feeling Too Good Today Blues." The tune--a lesser-known gem from the Lieber & Stoller catalog--provided a perfect theme for the evening (doubly so since Mike Stoller was in the audience). Sherman, who prefers to describe herself as a jazz cabaret artist, is a performer who seems to find the optimistic center of everything she sings.

Bill Watrous, whose new album presents him in an elaborate orchestral setting, is working under conspicuously different conditions at the Loa in Santa Monica, where his accompaniment consists simply of three musicians playing without arrangements and obviously without rehearsal. Fortunately, Watrous' virtuosity as a trombonist, and the quality of the company he is keeping on this modest gig, are rewarding enough to compensate for some of the shortcomings.

Anyone looking for a primer in the art of running a jazz festival would have been wise to have studied what happened between 2 and 9:30 p.m. Sunday at Pasadena's Ambassador Auditorium. Consider these ingredients: One comfortable indoor venue; an outdoor mall and park area where, after each set, the audience could find food stands and bars and relax under a nearby tree; five musical groups, each representing a valid aspect of non-fusion jazz today.

The jam session, that most revered of jazz institutions, is at the heart of this weekend's West Coast Jazz Party. The event, scheduled for the Irvine Marriott tonight through Monday, will feature five jam sessions each day, followed by a closing headliner. Many of the headlining bands will furnish participants for the jams, and a host of other musicians will assemble in mix-and-match action.