MUSICAL FEET SAVION GLOVER TAPS INTO JAZZ WITH 'IMPROVOGRAPHY II'.

Byline: Vicki Smith Paluch Correspondent

Tap sensation Savion Glover talks with his feet, sings with his feet and can break your heart with an impeccably timed slap of his foot.

Pitching his new show, ``Improvography II,'' an evening of tap dancing and jazz music that opens Tuesday at the Kodak Theatre in Hollywood for a one-week run, Glover appeared recently on ``The Tonight Show With Jay Leno.''

He closed the television show not speaking a word but by singing volumes with his feet, countering and accentuating the riffs played by the show's band.

During a break between rehearsals and taping of the March 11 show, Glover talked about ``Improvography II,'' his band and his dancers, now called Chapter 4.

At 31, the Tony Award-winning choreographer of ``Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk'' is out to ``conquer the music of the world.'' He wants to explore and interact with all types of music.

He has his jazz show, ``Improvography II,'' which he will take on an eight-week tour of the U.S., and he has just tested ``Classical Savion'' at the Joyce Theatre in New York City.

``All music is a part of my roots,'' he said. ``I'm just trying to cover world music and to show people that tap is an instrument, a melodic thing.''

With ``Improvography,'' which debuted at the Joyce in December 2003 with a three-week, sold-out run, he and his dancers are jazz musicians engaging in the decades-old interplay between jazz tap dancers and jazz musicians. If you saw his show ``Footsteps,'' performed here in 2000, you have an idea of what's in store.

``It's what tap dancers do when we're not in a booked show,'' he explained. ``It's what we do. We visit new music and continue to build and search.''

Glover, who burst onto the dance scene when he was 12 in Broadway's ``The Tap Dance Kid,'' has always dug deep into the soul of classic tap and the innovations of his elders - Gregory Hines, Sammy Davis Jr., the Nicolas Brothers, Dr. Jimmy Slyde and Lady Diane Walker.

``I'm happy to be a part of that rich tradition,'' he said.

To that dance history, Glover then brings his own style and energy. That energy can be joyful, angry, playful - but it is always honest. That is his vibe. Furthermore, he is a master improviser in the finest jazz tradition, hence, ``improvography.''

The first act of the show is Glover and his band - 40 minutes of music and dance. In the second act, Glover is joined by his dancers, Chapter 4. The musicians - pianist Tommy James, percussionist Brice Grice, saxophonist/flutist Patience Higgins and bassist Andy McCloud - are joined by dancers Maurice Chestnut, Ashley DeForest and - at 15, the youngest, Cartier Williams.

``Each one of us brings our own understanding of tap, our own chapter, to the music,'' Glover said.

Glover's Broadway credits include not only ``The Tap Dance Kid'' and ``Bring in Da Noise, Bring in Da Funk,'' but other ``booked shows,'' including ``Black and Blue,'' and ``Jelly's Last Jam,'' co-starring the late Gregory Hines.

Glover made his film debut at age 13 in ``Tap'' with Hines and Sammy Davis Jr. He brought tap to the ``Sesame Street'' set, appearing on the PBS series as a regular for five seasons. He has danced in music videos for artists from Kenny G to Puff Daddy. And he performed for President Clinton in ``Savion Glover's Stomp, Slide and Swing: In Performance at the White House.''

The publicity material and program notes show that ``Savion Glover'' is now trademarked. After all, Glover is now the head of Savion Worldwide, LLC.

``I'm just protecting Savion Worldwide. It's now business,'' he said.

Apart from the business side of show business, Glover is most interested in the music. The music used in ``Improvography II'' features many pieces by Glover and ``cover'' pieces, including songs by Bjork, Wayne Shorter and Stevie Wonder. It's not your typical tap fare.

Glover will also do two songs made famous by Frank Sinatra: ``Just the Way You Look Tonight'' and ``One for My Baby, One More for the Road.'' It's not as surprising as it seems. Glover choreographed the HBO movie ``The Rat Pack.''

``I've been enjoying (Sinatra's) music for a long time, and he gives me inspiration,'' Glover said.

When asked if he would sing those songs as he did in New York, Glover demurred, saying, ``We'll see.''

And that is what tap dancing is all about. It's an art that one must see, hear and feel in a live theater.

SAVION GLOVER'S IMPROVOGRAPHY II

Where: Kodak Theatre, 6801 Hollywood Blvd., Hollywood.

When: 8 p.m. Tuesday through Friday; 2 and 8 p.m. Saturday; through March 26.

Tickets: $26 to $53. [phone]. www.kodaktheatre.com.

CAPTION(S):

photo

Photo:

no caption (Savion Glover)