JAZZ REVIEW : Gruntz’s Concert Band Thrills Packed House at Catalina Bar

Alternately exalting pandemonium and order, Swiss-based pianist/composer/arranger George Gruntz’s Concert Jazz Band pulled out most of the stops in its opening set of a two-night stand Friday at Catalina Bar & Grill, treating the packed house to a swinging walk on the wild side of jazz.

One never knew whether the next explosion would come from a soloist--Gruntz brought along an all-star 17-man crew of European and American jazz players that included singer Mark Murphy--or from the leader’s bristling, damn-the-torpedoes arrangements. These charts were full of splendidly written passages that ranged from lyrical, mellifluous lines, as on Larry Schneider’s “So Easy,” to gleaming fireworks behind the improvisers.

“Life Turns” was representative of the band’s efforts. After bassist Mike Richmond’s unaccompanied solo, oozing, foglike tones came from the brass, then the reeds. Tenorist Joe Henderson soloed at a medium clip, displaying his trademark flow and intricacy as thick swirls of orchestral color surrounded him.

Next, the tempo shifted to flag-waver and after shimmering brass bursts, trombonists Dave Taylor, Art Baron, Ray Anderson and tuba player Howard Johnson offered brief, zesty ideas in turn. The tempo subsided, and Gruntz’s writing turned almost traditional, his ensemble sounding like a modern straight-ahead big band with edge.

The piece climaxed with a gritty Lew Soloff solo, where the trumpeter went from growls to fleet, bop-bent lines ultimately to piercing sky-high notes. The band built with him and ended with a horns-screaming free-for-all.

Gruntz’s writing and his players’ efforts provided the kind of excitement, imagination and risk-taking that are the heart of the jazz art form. Sadly, vital, adventuresome sounds like these are too rarely heard today.