JAZZ REVIEW : Ronny Jordan’s Septet Sizzles at Troubadour

British guitarist Ronny Jordan, whose mix of straight-ahead jazz, pop, R&B; and hip-hop is earning him a solid following, knows how to heat up an audience. His septet’s sold-out show on Friday at the Troubadour was built around numbers that sizzled.

Jordan, 31, delivers a dandy, luminous tone a la Wes Montgomery and ushers in his lines with plenty of rhythmic whammy. He scored with a no-nonsense version of “My Favorite Things,” and a dashing romp through “Blues-grinder,” where he cranked out one steaming idea after another.

“Get to Grips” and “Season for Change,” featuring rapper Radical MC, were effective, as was the coupling of the rousing “Come to Me” with a hip-hop take on “So What.” On these numbers, his band gave him exuberant, if overly loud, support.

But Jordan’s show faltered when he dropped in such mushy, mired-in-pop/jazz ditties as “Show Me” and “Tinsel Town,” which paled in comparison to his other material. Jordan also plays Tuesday at Ole Madrid in San Diego.

Guitarist Charlie Hunter, who does a swell job of playing bass lines while he simultaneously knocks out a solo, opened for Jordan. Hunter, vigorous tenor saxophonist David Ellis and spiffy drummer Jay Lane were first rate, offering a five-tune set of smart and lively jazz-meets-alternative-rock originals.