JAZZ REVIEWS : TORME RESCUES NEW GENE KRUPA BAND

It was non sequitur night, even more than nostalgia night, Tuesday at the Ambassador in Pasadena.

First non sequitur: Why, 13 years after his death, has the Gene Krupa estate suddenly sanctioned a band in his name? Second non sequitur: When one thinks of the Krupa band, certain names come to mind--Roy Eldridge, Anita O’Day, Buddy De Franco, Charlie Ventura. All are still around and at least occasionally active; none took part in this concert.

The drummer was Mel Torme’s Donny Osborne, who did a splendid job; the side men were local musicians picked up for the occasion, playing arrangements that were never of more than mild interest. Perhaps the ultimate non sequitur was clarinetist Henry Cuesta reminiscing about how it was to play for that great bandleader--wait a minute--Lawrence Welk.

Mel Torme rescued this event from its dubious premise. After tributes to Harry James, Artie Shaw and Count Basie (he even scatted a Sweets Edison-style trumpet solo), the singer spoke warmly about his friendship with Krupa, then revived one of the better works from the band’s old book, “What’s This.”

Witty comments were appended to his treatments of the title tune from “Round Midnight” and the perennial, somewhat overblown arrangement of “Blues in the Night.” Understanding exactly what this staid Pasadena crowd wanted, Torme served it up with power and panache.

Sue Raney, a striking blonde whose voice is simon-pure, enlivened the first half with a clever number sung in unison with bassist Richie Maloof. Some of her other material was less than appropriate, though her very slow treatment of “Tea for Two” (complete with muted trumpet by her husband, Carmen Fanzone) came off well. But it was a mistake to sing “Boogie Blues.” Raney is too ladylike to get down, too unlike Anita O’Day to attempt a song that was always the latter’s property.

For a finale, Torme took over the drums (the same set played by Krupa at Benny Goodman’s 1938 Carnegie Hall concert) to ride his way admirably through “Sing Sing Sing.” The band, dynamized by Torme’s work and an intrinsicly potent chart, came to life about as much as a ghost group can.