Left of Center

There are plenty of fine drummers perfectly capable of keeping a rhythm section swinging and plying the timeless-yet-fluid language that is jazz. But, so far as we know, there’s only one Billy Mintz.

Mintz is a drummer, seen on the fringes of the mainstream jazz scene down south, who is prone to bend the beat as much as stoke it. He tends to approach his humbly scaled drum kit with a painterly sense of color and a lanky, dancer-like abandon. Humor and abstraction are important elements in his playing, alongside the swing imperative.

Mintz is also something of an enigma and one of L.A. jazz scene’s best-kept secrets.

In part, that’s because his aesthetic leanings go left in a town that often leans right, toward more conservative definitions of what jazz is about.

As if by natural design, that has led him to become a regular ally of Vinnie Golia, the charismatic wind player and owner of Nine Winds record company.

For his part, Mintz has made his presence known in Ventura several times over the last couple of years, as L.A.’s Jazz Left, based around Golia, has put this town on its gigging map.

Mintz plays at the Daily Grind on Saturday with a quartet that includes bassist Trey Henry and saxophonists Tony Malaby of Jersey City and Hans Teuber of Seattle. Mintz has played at the Daily Grind before, as well as at Art City, in a dynamic and uncompromising trio with Golia and electric bassist Steuart Liebig.

The chance to hear Mintz working up his different drummer poetry at the Daily Grind is a calendar-marking occasion.

DETAILS

Billy Mintz Quartet, 9 p.m. Saturday at the Daily Grind, 607 E. Main St. in Ventura; free; 641-1679.

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To get to this weekend’s Live Oak Festival, veer off the Ventura Freeway, head up over the mountains on California 154 toward Lake Cachuma, northwest of Santa Barbara, and keep your eyes peeled for some hand-scrawled signs by the new golf course. There’s no actual address to look for, and that’s part of the charm.

Campers come here to escape city life, and day visitors within driving distance drop by. This festival, now 10 years old and with a reputation that’s growing each year, seems to take on its own sense of time and space for one weekend a year.

It all began as a fund-raising, as well as a ruckus-raising, event for the San Luis Obispo-based public radio station KCBX.

It quickly gained momentum and is now a highlight of the cultural calendar in the area. As the years went on and the festival turned into something of a fixture on the folk festival scene, it expanded its musical menu.

This year’s lineup is a perfect example of the eclectic mind-set that has come to characterize Live Oak. Jazz pianist and vocalist Loston Harris, who released an album on the N2K label last year, will be there with his trio, along with Hawaiian slack key legend Cyril Pahinui and Cajun icon Boozoo Chavis.

Dulcet gospel tones from the Mighty Mighty Travelers, swing of various stripes by Sugar Daddy Swing Kings and Big Sandy and his Fly Rite Boys, and brainy bluegrass from the Tony Furtado Band will peacefully co-exist on the roster.

David Lindley and Wally Ingram will occupy their own niche neighborhood where Americana and world music shake hands.

There are local talents given exposure as well, including acoustic blues singer Karen Tyler and those bluegrass marauders, Peter Feldmann and the Very Lonesome Boys.

The Live Oak is always a good excuse to get out of the house, and this year’s model should be no exception.

DETAILS

Live Oak Festival, Friday-Sunday at Live Oak Camp, on California 154, 5.2 miles south of Cachuma Lake Campground and 1.8 miles north of Paradise Road. Full festival pass is $87, Friday pass is $20, Saturday and Sunday one-day passes are $30, kid’s full festival pass is $20, and single-day passes are $5, when purchased with adult day pass; 781-3169.

Josef Woodard, who writes about art and music, can be reached by e-mail at [email protected].