Marcus Printup, Churchill Grounds, Nov. 15

Saturday night at Churchill Grounds, trumpeter Marcus Printup picked from half a dozen Charlie Parker tunes, offering straight readings of "Quazimoto," "Donna Lee" and other classics of the Parker songbook. The tempos were familiar, the melodies fully intact. But joined by trombonist Chris Crenshaw, bassist Craig Shaw, harpist Riza Hequibal and drummer Kinah Boto, Printup took easy, take-your-time solos all night long.

On "Now's the Time," he exploited the melody's final note, holding it out in an expansive breath. This steady pitch led to more sustained notes, establishing a tonal foundation for Printup's solo. Soon, the trumpeter zipped to the tip top of his register and back down again. These maneuvers weren't simply finger calisthenics; his let his line rise and fall with a final goal in mind.

Shaw, a mainstay of local jam sessions, packed myriad ideas into every solo he was given. Accompanied only by Boto, Shaw explored chordal harmonies, purposeful sequences of speedy notes and slap-bass technique. In his last extended improvisation of the evening, Shaw repeatedly plucked his strings beyond the bridge of the bass for comic effect.

Printup also played the joker with Parker's tunes. The trumpeter quoted snippets of "Santa Claus is Coming to Town" and other lighthearted numbers and peppered his solos with shakes and half-valves. Crenshaw, who can play soft, beautiful tones followed by harsh, dirty growls, got in on the fun as well, singing into his trombone at one point in the set. All this clowning around ultimately served the music — none of it was purely for show. While adding new ideas to old tunes, the band paid dutiful respect to their bebop forebear.

National acts like Printup and Crenshaw, both of whom have family in Georgia but live in New York's fertile jazz scene, crop up from time to time at Churchill. When marquee names takes the stage (both Printup and Crenshaw are of the Lincoln Jazz Center Orchestra mold), people pack in. A standing-room only crowd took in the band's first set. As I left, ready to brave the first truly cold night of winter, a hefty group was gathering for the 11:30 show.