JAZZ REVIEW : HARVIE SWARTZ QUARTET: NOT NECESSARILY FUSION

Looks can be deceiving and just about anybody who might have wandered into the Vine St. Bar & Grill on Tuesday evening could have been easily deceived by the looks of the Harvie Swartz Quartet.

The grand piano was covered and was being used as a stand for a synthesizer. There was a solid-body electric guitar with more than a few pedals and attachments. The drum set featured a large bass drum and a couple of extra tom-toms. And Swartz’s bass looked to be a big block of ebony wood with its only recognizable feature being the traditional neck.

It appeared that an evening of jazz-rock fusion was in order. But while the instruments were electric, the sounds were unmistakably jazz.

“I’m known as an acoustic bass player,” Swartz told the sparse opening night audience, “and I always will be one.”

The bass Swartz is playing these days is a variation on the traditional uprights. Called the Vertical Bass (Swartz has been involved in its development), it was more evenly amplified while not forsaking any of the sound properties of its acoustic counterpart.

Two of the evening’s best uses of the instrument came on a solo rendition of Thelonious Monk’s “ ‘Round Midnight” and a ballad, “Falling,” written by Swartz. In both cases Swartz performed masterfully, reconfirming his position as one of jazz music’s foremost bassists.

The evening began with the blues, “Common Ground,” that set a common groove for the band. Drummer Yves Gerard kicked the shuffle beat along, filling with tasty flourishes, as guitarist Jay Azzolina and soprano saxophonist Billy Drewes soloed beautifully.

“Smart Moves” was one of two outings that could be called jazz rock. Though its beat was funky, the melody lines and chord patterns, written by Swartz, allowed Azzolina to stay in more of a jazz mode than rock. While that fusion worked well, “L.A. Express,” written by Drewes, didn’t. A repeated four-bar melody line provided little room for the soloists.

Drewes’ synthesizer playing was adequate for the quartet, but Swartz would be wise to hire a fifth player to handle keyboard chores. Too often when Drewes switched to the soprano or alto sax, the bottom fell out of the group.